JEDDAH, 10 April 2008 — Wanting to improve their performance and acquire the latest psychological methods in dealing with forsaken children and teens, 15 social workers, all of them women, completed a comprehensive two-day workshop at Maharat Center in Jeddah.
“Just because they are abandoned children we should not expect the worse from them. That’s just not the way to deal with them,” said specialist Amal Ashour on Tuesday, addressing the participants. “You have to accept all children as they are and then work on adjusting their behavior.”
The social workers from four local women’s welfare institutions and charity organizations deal with infants, boys and girls, teenage girls and women into their 20s.
During the workshop Ashour showed attendees techniques in dealing with children, teens and young women who suffer from different behavioral issues that often stem from domestic abuse and other problems. One of the focuses of the workshop was to teach social workers how to boost the self-esteem of the children and young women they try to help.
Aysha Sigal, a social worker from the First Women’s Charity Society in south Jeddah, said that this was the first workshop she has attended.
“I learned so much from it,” she said. “Dealing with teenagers can be hard.”
Sigal began her work in Jeddah’s poorer, working class area three months ago, and said that her group feels overwhelmed with responsibility. “We’re only two social workers dealing with 22 teenagers,” she said.
Ashour said she would be visiting these social workers at their jobs and conduct therapy sessions with children to help teach more techniques for the workers at these organizations. “I feel I have many ideas now that I’m looking forward to implementing,” said Mariam Munir from the Social Welfare Home, which is under the Ministry of Social Affairs.
