"Family development" Honors social monitors and its strategic partners

Abu Dhabi, October 29 / WAM / The Family Development Foundation honored social monitors and strategic partners, in appreciation of their distinguished efforts in supporting the Foundation’s initiatives and their contribution to enhancing its development and societal role, monitoring and analyzing societal issues, and supporting decision makers with accurate information and data.

The ceremony, which was organized at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center, was attended by His Excellency Maryam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director General of the Family Development Foundation, His Excellency Dr. Omar Al Dhaheri, Assistant Undersecretary for School Operations Sector – Abu Dhabi – Ministry of Education, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Balushi, Director of the Strategic Planning and Institutional Development Department at the Family Development Foundation, His Excellency Saeed Al Ghafli, Director of the Support Services Department at the Foundation, His Excellency Maryam Muslim Al Mazrouei, Director of the Community Service Department at the Family Development Foundation, and His Excellency Wafa Al Ali, Director of the Foundation’s Family Development Department, and a number of strategic partners, social monitors and Foundation employees.

Her Excellency Maryam Mohammed Al Rumaithi stressed that this meeting reflects the Foundation’s appreciation for the efforts of social monitors in the field, as they are the beating heart of the social monitoring system, and the mirror that reflects the pulse of society and its needs, transforming them into initiatives and policies that contribute to improving the quality of life.

She said that the Foundation works under the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates”, President of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, who gives the family a top priority in the national development process, out of her keenness to enhance its stability and support its social cohesion, noting that the Foundation continues its pivotal role in consolidating the values of family cohesion and ensuring a decent and secure life for senior citizens, based on the vision of Her Highness aiming to build a cohesive society that enjoys happiness. With stability and sustainable well-being.

She pointed out that the digital social monitoring system represents a qualitative leap in institutional social work, as it enables the Foundation to monitor and analyze societal issues accurately and objectively, and anticipate future social trends based on reliable field data, and contributes to supporting decision makers with information and analyzes that are translated into initiatives and programs that enhance family stability and quality of life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, stressing that innovation in monitoring and analysis has become an essential pillar in the process of sustainable social development led by the Foundation.

She added that the Foundation paid great attention to qualifying national cadres and enhancing their capabilities in the field of social monitoring, as 360 social workers were qualified from government schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, pointing out that the first phase included training 78 social monitors, followed by fruitful cooperation with the University of Sharjah to qualify 40 employees from the Family Development Foundation centers, including 32 social monitors.

She explained that the allocation of 110 social monitors embodies the Foundation’s approach towards building a monitoring system based on data and scientific analysis, which contributes to developing community programs and enhancing integration between schools and the Foundation’s centres, and confirms the commitment to achieving a cohesive, safe and prosperous society.

She pointed out that the academic accreditation of the system and the praise of the competent authorities confirms its distinction as an innovative model for supporting data-based decision-making, explaining that cooperation with the Ministry of Education resulted in the participation of 57 schools in monitoring social phenomena, and the implementation of 141 services and activities that benefited about 4,874 participants, achieving a positive impact exceeding 89% in improving the quality of life of students and families.

Her Excellency extended her sincere thanks and appreciation to the work team and organizers for their sincere efforts in making the Social Monitor project a success, appreciating the support of the partner agencies whose cooperation played a major role in achieving this success, stressing that the Foundation will not stop developing the digital Social Monitor system, to keep pace with the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, expanding its fields to include senior citizens and enhancing community participation in monitoring.

In conclusion, His Excellency Maryam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, His Excellency Dr. Omar Al Dhaheri, and His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Balushi, honored the strategic partners represented by the University of Sharjah, the Statistics Center in Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Education, the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, the Department of Government Empowerment, school principals, and social monitors from Abu Dhabi schools, Al Dhafra and Al Ain, and from the centers of the Family Development Foundation and the Ministry of Education, who support the digital social monitor project.

For his part, His Excellency Dr. Omar Al Dhaheri thanked and appreciated the Family Development Foundation for its distinguished efforts in supporting various segments of society, noting the Ministry’s keenness to expand the scope of its partnerships to serve its ambitious educational goals emanating from its national priorities.

He expressed his pride in enabling 78 social monitors who are specialists working in schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to be an active part of the digital social monitor project, stressing the Ministry’s aspiration to expand the base of monitors in the coming stages to include all schools in the emirate.

For his part, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Balushi said, in a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), that social monitors have made a remarkable effort in monitoring social phenomena and social behaviors through organized standard models and an advanced electronic system.

He explained that their role in the Foundation is to collect and analyze data to monitor the most important recurring and widespread social phenomena, whether in schools or in the regions of the emirate through the Foundation’s centres, then develop and improve its programs and social services directed to the target groups.

He added that approximately 140 programs were presented in schools based on the phenomena that were monitored, and 300 awareness brochures were distributed for the benefit of society. The results of measuring impact improved and most participants benefited from these programs as they contributed to improving their family affairs and addressing many social phenomena.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Amoush, Professor of Applied Sociology at the University of Sharjah, said in a statement to WAM that the Social Monitor program uses social scientific research methodology based on qualitative and quantitative research, and addresses and simulates social phenomena and images of daily social life to identify developments and challenges facing the family in order to achieve a cohesive family.

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