Violence against children in Malawi and social work

This chapter draws on the evidence of Malawi’s first household survey on the national prevalence of violence against children. Building on this evidence, social planning has now begun with an emphasis on strengthening multisectoral engagement for the prevention of child abuse. The chapter presents a prevention framework for a response system that reaches beyond crisis and addresses how children, families, and communities can be supported within a community-building approach. Using primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention approaches to health and social care, it presents a rationale for interventions that prioritise the agency of children in creating change. It describes innovative and effective interventions being implemented by government, in partnership with key stakeholders, to build a responsive social welfare system with the minimal resources available, while simultaneously empowering children as central change agents in child protection.