Gender division holds 'soft launch' of children's registry

Although not yet implemented after more than five years in the development stage, on Friday, there was a soft launch of the National Children’s Registry (NCR) on the completion of the project.

According to a press release by the Division of Gender and Child Affairs, the virtual launch was attended by stakeholders and professionals from government ministries as well as local and international child-related agencies.

“The objectives of the NCR are to provide an efficient and effective method of monitoring child development, help service providers to identify vulnerable children and determine whether they are getting essential services and reduce duplication of services. It will also foster effective collaboration among practitioners in Ministries such as Education, Health, Social Development and Family Services and National Security.

“The NCR will generate anonymous reports on the data gathered from the various agencies, which will be used to further enhance national polices, programmes and strategies. Key principles upon which the NCR has been developed include security, so that the information gathered remains confidential, accuracy and simplicity, ensuring an interactive platform that is user-friendly.”

Participants were given a demonstration highlighting the functions and capabilities of the NCR in enhancing child protection and ending child abuse.