When Singapore hosted the annual conference of the Asian Network of Women’s Shelters (ANWS) in 2016, delegates discussed various ideas on how to strengthen the skills and experience of social workers across Asia. The Garden of Hope (GOH) decided to work with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organizations to make this plan a reality.

Starting in 2017, each organization sent their social workers to intern at a shelter run by the partner organization, offering them an invaluable opportunity to see how shelters are run abroad and how issues of domestic abuse are tackled in a different country. Once the intern returned, they would then share their experience and what they had learned with colleagues in their home country.

During their time at Taiwanese shelters, the Singaporean interns were impressed by the care with which GOH shelters treated child witnesses of domestic violence, especially how each child is assigned their own social worker. They could see how important this was for the child, who often is left with emotional trauma after witnessing violent scenes, as well as how such holistic support improves the shelter experience for the whole family.

Singaporean interns also remarked that they found the small group workshops, held by social workers at the shelter, very helpful. GOH shelters hold small group workshops in which social workers can share their experiences working on different cases and explain how they have dealt with issues that come up. This systematic analysis and open discussion of cases means that knowledge is regularly shared among social workers on various situations which may occur and on different family dynamics, which should lead to more positive outcomes in the future as workers become more aware of potential issues.

The Singaporean social workers also spoke highly of the 24-hour 113 hotline which the Taiwanese government provides to report cases of domestic abuse. The hotline is additionally a channel through which the public can receive legal assistance and communicate readily and directly with the government.

Overall, the interns were impressed with how the Taiwanese government and NGOs work together to provide a more holistic service for victims of domestic abuse and their children, especially in the area of mental health, which is lacking in shelters in Singapore.