HCM City has inaugurated a Child and Family Psycho-Social Support Office, aiming to enhance mental health services, counselling, and child protection efforts across the city through a collaborative, professional network.
HCM City has opened a new Child and Family Psycho-Social Support Office as authorities seek to widen access to mental health care, counselling and protection services for children and their families across the city. The office was launched on Thursday through a memorandum of understanding between the HCM City Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights and the HCM City Association of Psychological and Educational Sciences.
At the opening ceremony, Mai Thi Ngoc Mai said the model responds to urgent child protection needs, particularly where mental health is concerned. The association said the office is designed to deepen cooperation between agencies, draw on professional psychological expertise and mobilise social resources to safeguard children’s legal rights and interests. Dinh Phuong Duy said the project reflects growing concern over violence, abuse and psychological distress affecting children.
The new office will begin operating from two main reception points: the headquarters of the children’s rights association and the HCM City office of Save the Children International. It will also work with five satellite sites, including counselling rooms in Tay Thanh and Tang Nhon Phu wards, the Green Bamboo Centre, Mai am Hoa Hong Nho, and the HCM City Social Work and Vocational Education Centre for Minors. Trần Công Bình said the service will work on a non-profit basis, with confidentiality and the child’s best interests at the centre of its approach.
According to the two associations, the office will handle referrals, assess needs, screen cases, provide initial counselling, and connect children and families with longer-term support where needed. The children’s rights association will act as the coordination point, while the psychological sciences association will oversee professional standards and clinical procedures. The groups also plan to widen their network of psychologists and counsellors, strengthen links with schools, hospitals and social welfare bodies, and run training for child care workers. On the same day, they and Save the Children International also held a workshop to improve knowledge of child psychology and mental health among managers, social workers and caregivers.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
