Abstract
The study aims to understand Mongolian social workers' perception of child protective factors for children under
6 years of age. Using mixed methods, the study was conducted in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.
There were 254 participants who worked as social workers and welfare officers who worked in multidisciplinary
teams at the smallest administrative units of Ulaanbaatar; known as a khoroo. Ecological and
phenomenological perspectives offered an opportunity to analyse survey and interview data with a view to
understanding why social workers may value some protective factors as more important than others.
The preliminary findings revealed that the most agreed protective factors were parental and family related
factors. These included the existence of a happy relationship of parents, maternal warmth and quality of child
rearing condition. In addition to these factors, protecting the cultural values of children was well regarded.
When providing services to parents or caregivers of children under 6 years of age, khoroo social workers and
welfare officers more often used supportive and case management skills than therapeutic approaches. Their
application of protective factors to their practice appeared more often informed by their own social and family
contexts than from their social work and welfare education. These findings are important for the future
development of social work education and practice for working with children, families and communities in
Mongolia.
6 years of age. Using mixed methods, the study was conducted in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.
There were 254 participants who worked as social workers and welfare officers who worked in multidisciplinary
teams at the smallest administrative units of Ulaanbaatar; known as a khoroo. Ecological and
phenomenological perspectives offered an opportunity to analyse survey and interview data with a view to
understanding why social workers may value some protective factors as more important than others.
The preliminary findings revealed that the most agreed protective factors were parental and family related
factors. These included the existence of a happy relationship of parents, maternal warmth and quality of child
rearing condition. In addition to these factors, protecting the cultural values of children was well regarded.
When providing services to parents or caregivers of children under 6 years of age, khoroo social workers and
welfare officers more often used supportive and case management skills than therapeutic approaches. Their
application of protective factors to their practice appeared more often informed by their own social and family
contexts than from their social work and welfare education. These findings are important for the future
development of social work education and practice for working with children, families and communities in
Mongolia.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 115 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | XXth ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect - Nagoya, Japan Duration: 14 Sept 2014 → 17 Sept 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | XXth ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Japan |
| City | Nagoya |
| Period | 14/09/14 → 17/09/14 |
Keywords
- prevention
- children and families
- protective factors
- social work