Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: Academics of Social Work participate in a historic training project for SENAME
For the development of New Futures, a team was created with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, SENAME, the UC School of Social Work, solidarity organizations and Banco Bci.
Among the various national crises, one of the issues with the greatest consensus is the urgency to reform the National Service for Minors (SENAME). News of leaks, abuses, and poor conditions in the residences that are part of that protection system had become a recurring concern for the country in recent years.
It is from this need that the New Futures project was born, a reform and learning effort for those who fulfill the role of caregivers in these homes. With a previous phase that brought together actors from the government, academia, companies and solidarity organizations, the UC School of Social Workhas played a key role in the creation of content and methodologies for this initiative, an instance that is now about to begin a pilot plan to improve the multiple shortcomings of SENAME.
“It has been a long time job, we have been in this beautiful experience for two years, learning to ally with private companies and civil society. What the technical table has done is very rigorous work. Part of our mission as a School of Social Work is to influence public policy, and Nuevos Futuros is a fruit of that commitment, where through research and training we can contribute to social policies in Chile ”, says Carolina Muñoz, Social Work academic and member of the directory of Nuevos Futuros.
The initiative began to be formulated in 2018, within Compromiso País, a scheme of 16 work tables promoted by the Ministry of Social Development and Family . Among the topics that were addressed, table 4 was the one that analyzed the challenge of improving the quality of life of children and adolescents in SENAME residences.
” Part of our mission as a School of Social Work is to influence public policy, and Nuevos Futuros is a fruit of that commitment, where through research and training we can contribute to social policies in Chile” – Carolina Muñoz, Social Work academic.