In Panama, the shift in how families are supported is being felt at the heart of communities. Thanks to the leadership of the Ministry of Social Development, with support from UNICEF and Maestral International, child protection is now closer than ever to the places where vulnerable children and adolescents live.
The Contigo Creciendo model—and its tool, the Operational Manual for Case Management of Children and Adolescents at the Community Level, approved by Presidential Decree No. 20 of 13 June 2024—has marked a turning point in social work in the country. This process has strengthened local protection systems and renewed the outlook, vocation, and commitment of those who sustain the care network day after day: the social services workforce.
Through training provided by Maestral International and the practice and implementation of the model, promoters and social workers have learned to view families from a different perspective: not by focusing on what they lack, but on what they already have to rebuild their lives. They have developed new skills to identify risks promptly, prevent unnecessary family separations, and coordinate responses among institutions—and, above all, they have regained the human meaning of their work. Behind every home visit, every community meeting, and every family support session are professionals and promoters who sincerely believe in the power of change. Their commitment does not end with the diagnosis or management of a case; it begins there, in that act of trust and empathy that opens the possibility of transforming realities. Adverse realities in most cases, communities that are difficult to access, in conditions of extreme poverty, which require families and the teams that accompany them to give more than they sometimes think they can.
This integrated model has strengthened the workforce’s identity as agents of change and hope—capable of joining forces, building bridges, and accompanying families with care and respect. Today, those working in social protection do not simply apply a manual; they embody a new way of understanding care, where every action reaffirms that the rights, well-being, and dignity of every child are at the center of every intervention.
Step by step, Panama is moving towards a more humane and accessible system, driven by people who believe that social transformation begins with a different perspective —one that recognizes that every family, when accompanied by respect and empathy, has the strength to keep growing.