Nine organisations on Tuesday received certificates of acknowledgement for their child care centres from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation following ministerial evaluation at the centres.
The ministry’s General Department of Technical Affairs director-general Touch Channy told The Post on Wednesday that the organisations run 12 child care centres.
He explained that as per procedures, organisations running child care centres must submit requests to the ministry for evaluation. It would then decide if the centres practise standard policies set by the ministry.
Channy said: “When officials went to evaluate [the centres], they found that the centres followed the standards properly and we release certificates to acknowledge them. The evaluation analyses the actual situation such as the location, children’s accommodations, clean spaces, hygiene, proper diets and clothing, among others.”
If a centre is found to not be following proper standards, the ministry would give it two to three months to change.
The certificate is valuable because the organisations can use it to request aid from domestic or international donors. The donors will check whether these centres have been acknowledged by the government, he added.
Channy said participation from the ministry’s partner organisations is very important to enhance the social affairs sector in Cambodia. He called on other partner organisations to improve the quality of life for vulnerable children in Cambodia.
The ministry has issued certificates to many centres in the past. Throughout the country, there are currently 232 child care centres run by 147 organisations that have signed memorandums of understanding with the ministry. Channy said however that not all the 232 centres have received certificates of acknowledgement.
He advised the accredited organisations to take their certificates and use them properly. They should not request assistance in a way that defies the ministry’s guidelines.
He also called for centres to take care of children according to the ministry’s guidance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and the onset of floods. If there is a flood in the centre, children must be evacuated quickly, he said.
