Skip to content

Child Protection

50%
300,000
16%

Drop-In Centre

Alternative Care

DT seeks to enhance family-strengthening approaches and options like kinship and foster care. Residential Alternative Care is always a last resort; however, in some cases, it is the only safe option for children.

DT operates two Alternative Care projects in Poi Pet. Short-term care is provided at the Reception Centre; longer-term care is provided at the Transitional Care Facility. Both projects continue to conduct family tracing in the hopes of reintegrating children with parents or relatives, or into foster care.

Reception Centre (RC)

The RC provides immediate, short-term support for children under 16 who are unstable or unsafe to stay with family due to trafficking, abuse or exploitation identified in the community or at the Child Migrant Office in Poi Pet. Support includes education, healthcare, psychosocial counselling, recreation, family tracing and reintegration.

51

children receiving care at the RC

25

children successfully reintegrated home (2023)

Transitional Care Facility (TCF)

After one year at the RC, children whose families cannot be traced or who are not safe for reintegration are referred to the TCF. The family tracing process continues with the aim of reintegrating these children; however, the approach to care involves more long-term support, including providing life skills to prepare children as they transition into adulthood. When the children reach the age of 16, they have the option of moving into a community Group Home run by DT where they continue to receive support, provided they remain in school or attend vocational training.

36

children receiving care at TCF

Help support this project!

ChildSafe Network

Damnok Toek is an active member of the ChildSafe Network, which works to protect street-living and street-working children and youth from all forms of abuse. The ChildSafe Movement is part of the 3PC (the Partnership Program for the Protection of Children) agenda.

DT trains ChildSafe Agents who are local members of the community (tuk-tuk drivers, market vendors, teachers, etc.) in child protection. The training helps them to identify unsafe situations. From there, they can intervene or call the 24/7 ChildSafe hotline available nationwide to report the problem for further intervention from the authorities or a trained 3PC member organisation.

Want to support this project?