New institute opened for family and child consultation
The Family, Child and Youth Development Agency launched a new center for family and child consultation, named Shidet Toli, on Thursday.
The center has a toy room for children, private consultation room and an observation room. The toy room is equipped with toys and games used to calm and test mental health of children of all ages. The private room provides a comfortable, private space for parents and teenagers to speak their mind and resolve their problems with a specialist to facilitate the process.
Experts viewed that the center is effective for preventing divorce, which affect children the most.
“Nearly 4,000 couples approach us in regard to filing a divorce. There’s always a child involved in divorce cases. A divorce usually involves one to five children. A couple has to wait three to six months for a separation order to legally terminate their marriage. Then there comes the question ‘Who will work with this family during that period of time?’ I’m happy that a new center has opened to fulfill that role. This center will serve useful for lowering the divorce rate and help restore family relationships,” said L.Badamtsetseg, a specialist of the Family, Child and Youth Development Agency.
According to statistics, one out of every three families decided to divorce in Mongolia in 2015 and slightly improved in 2016, becoming one in every four families. The agency notified that 98 children suffering because of a divorce lawsuit of their parents sought help from them last year.
At Thursday’s opening, the head of the Family Development Center commented, “Children become victims of a divorce lawsuit. Therefore, a specialist from our organization conducts an observation to determine which parent should take custody of the child as their legal guardian. We used to visit homes to analyze family problems. With a new center opened, we’ll be able to evaluate in a professional environment.”
Shidet Toli (Magical Mirror) allows child psychologist to observe children and analyze their mental state and behavior while they play from the adjoined observation room through a two-way mirror hung on one side of the room. The staff said that they will talk with parents in private to help “restore” their relationship and prevent their separation.
Shine Toli was established with a financing of 20 million MNT jointly by the Family, Child and Youth Development Agency, Good Neighbors Non Profit Organization, and the Judicial General Council.