SOS Children’s Villages Palestine organized a specialized workshop entitled “Strategic Directions Related to Child Protection, Reducing Reliance on Alternative Care, and Strengthening the Reintegration of Children with Their Biological Families.” The workshop was attended officially by representatives of the Family Protection Police, the Juvenile Prosecution, and the Ministry of Social Development, in addition to staff from the National Office and the Family-Like Care Programme within the organization.

The workshop opened with a formal session that included opening remarks by Brigadier General Dr. Khawla Fadlallah, Director of the Family and Juvenile Protection Department at the Palestinian Police; Mr. Thaer Khalil, Head of the Juvenile Prosecution; Mr. Mohammad Al-Qaram, Director of the Family Protection Department at the Ministry of Social Development; Ms. Saed Al-Atrash, Director of the Bethlehem Directorate of Social Development; and Mr. Sufyan Al-Zahlan, Director of the Family Protection Police in Bethlehem, along with their respective teams. All speakers emphasized the importance of joint coordination to protect children and promote safe and stable family environments.

The workshop featured a strategic presentation delivered by the organization outlining its future directions, focusing on reducing reliance on institutional alternative care and strengthening efforts to reintegrate children with their biological families. The presentation also addressed monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and quality assurance measures. In addition, the workshop highlighted plans to expand family strengthening programmes, recognizing them as key preventive pathways that help prevent family separation and support children’s stability within their natural environments.

During the sessions, the programme supporting children evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Bethlehem was presented, with particular attention given to the specific challenges facing the programme. The organization also reviewed its new services and future directions, including the development of protection and support services for women survivors of violence, the expansion of kinship and alternative family programmes, and the provision of short-term care services as temporary solutions that safeguard the best interests of the child.

The workshop concluded with an open discussion session, during which participants agreed on a set of recommendations, most notably strengthening joint coordination and follow-up mechanisms among partner entities to ensure an integrated and effective response to child protection and family support.