In Thailand, government residential care for children is an option for vulnerable and disadvantaged children when no other options exist to protect them from harm and to provide a better quality of life for them, including assuming responsibility to find the proper social support for them after they leave government residential care. Pattani is one of the southern Thailand border provinces where the majority of the population are Muslims, making up 70% of the population, which is different from other parts of Thailand. The different identities of local people here create a multicultural society in the area. The purpose of this study was to examine the social support system for children in government residential care in Pattani, Thailand, and to investigate how such sectors associated with the children could indeed enhance potential solutions in the support system to strengthen and improve child wellbeing. In this study, two focus group discussions of officers and child special workers related to the development of children at Pattani Home for Girls were assembled to gather perspectives on child support from various sectors and to generate adequate support for the children. Following that, a thematic analysis was carried out. The results of the study indicate that support for various sectors is important for determining the ideal ways to support the development of children in government residential care. The study also recommends that the government child welfare system should strengthen the support network for children in government residential care, particularly in terms of coping with life after they leave care. Furthermore, the study suggests that understanding a society's culture, language, attitude system, beliefs, and values is critical for developing appropriate welfare policies in places such as Southern Thailand.
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In-Text Citation: (Charansarn & Azman, 2022)
To Cite this Article: Charansarn, A., & Azman, A. (2022). The Strengthening of the Social Support System for Children in Government Residential Care in Pattani, Thailand. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 12(7), 1407– 1421.
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