PDF (Lessons learned in drug abuse prevention: a global review)

NATIONAL
● Carrying out prevention activities through Municipal Child Ombudsmen
Offices: Prevention activities include the distribution and use of preventive material
developed by the project, and the application of procedures and norms instituted by
the offices. Family intervention or legal procedures are undertaken to protect more
vulnerable children. Ombudsmen Offices are beginning to make their presence felt in
meetings with school associations, representing local government when drug-related
problems arise. The offices also support local parents' and teachers' associations with
counselling and participate in their drug abuse prevention activities.
Monitoring & Evaluation:
Results of the work carried out by the staff are evaluated monthly and each semester.
Reports are prepared for departmental authorities and the social services, and the
follow-up is included periodically in the information system. Each municipality reports
to the Vice Ministry of Gender, Generations and Family.
Outcomes:
Number of children/youth reached: 1,500,000
In the first phase of the project, 204 Municipal Child Ombudsmen Offices were set up
in 183 of the country's 314 municipalities. 3,500 technical staff and promoters were
trained in drug abuse prevention and the protection and promotion of the rights of
children and adolescents.
Other findings of the evaluation highlighted the need for:
● Establishing new Municipal Child Ombudsmen Offices, and supporting those that
already exist.
● Evaluation of the quality of the services being provided by existing Municipal Child
Ombudsmen Offices.
● A discussion with the Municipal Child Ombudsmen Offices regarding future strategies
and the potential sustainability of the activities, given that the project's provision for
training, information systems, and communication is in the process of implementation,
and will decrease in the coming years.
● The dissemination of these experiences internationally, as the project is both unique
and - thus far - successful.
Lessons Learned:
COVERAGE
Number of peers/mediators/educators/teachers etc. trained: 3,500
Number of families reached: N/A
Number of institutions/associations involved: 500
● By creating Municipal Child Ombudsmen Offices, the municipalities respond
to the needs of Bolivian society and thus contribute to human development:
The functions of the Municipal Child Ombudsmen Offices are two-fold:
I. These institutions represent a place where children and youngsters with problems
are listened to and supported in a context where childrens' rights are respected and
promoted. In many areas, rural as well as urban, these institutions are the only
services available for the use of this vulnerable segment of the population.
II. These institutions promote actions in the area of drug abuse prevention and
childrens’ rights.
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