By Edward Acquah
Accra, April 30, GNA – Stakeholders have called for a dedicated national budget line and increased local funding to strengthen child protection systems in Ghana.
They also proposed allocating at least five per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to support child protection services at the local level.
A communiqué issued at the end of a three-day National Advocacy and Child Protection Workshop in Accra and shared with the Ghana News Agency outlined the recommendations.
The workshop, held from April 28 to 30, 2026, was organised by SOS Children’s Villages Ghana in collaboration with World Vision Ghana, Plan International Ghana, International Justice Mission and partners, with support from NORAD.
“The workshop recommends… setting up a dedicated budget for child protection issues in the National Budget,” the communiqué said.
It further urged authorities to “introduce and allocate five per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for child protection issues at the local level.”
Participants noted that despite Ghana’s strong legal and policy frameworks, including the Children’s Act and the Child and Family Welfare Policy, implementation gaps, weak coordination, funding constraints and limited data systems continued to undermine outcomes.
They called for urgent reforms to strengthen the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, improve service delivery and enhance coordination across national and local levels.
The communiqué also called for the passage of the Social Workers Bill, the operationalisation of licensing for social workers and strict enforcement of existing child protection policies.
It recommended structural reforms to improve the effectiveness of the Department, establishment of Child Protection Committees at the local level, and the creation of a “one-stop-shop as a multidisciplinary centre on child protection involving all stakeholders.”
On governance, Parliament was urged to deepen oversight on child protection implementation and financing, while civil society organisations were encouraged to strengthen coordinated advocacy and translate field challenges into evidence-based policy reforms.
The media were also tasked to “strengthen policy-oriented and evidence-based reporting on child protection issues” and promote ethical, child-sensitive storytelling.
The communiqué further called on citizens to report child protection violations, reject harmful practices and support authorities to uphold children’s rights.
It noted that while Ghana had made significant commitments to child protection, challenges persisted at district and community levels, including resource constraints, workforce limitations and fragmented advocacy efforts.
SOS Children’s Villages Ghana said it continued to support children without parental care, or at risk of losing such care, through alternative care and family strengthening programmes in Tema, Asiakwa, Kumasi and Tamale.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth sackey
Reporter: Edward Acquah
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