Social Welfare Services and Stakeholder Interventions for Survivors of Child Abuse in Lagos State, Nigeria: An Assessment of Service Availability, Roles, and Effectiveness

Abstract

This article draws on a broader qualitative thesis to examine two of its core objectives: (i) identifying the social welfare services available to survivors of child abuse and their expected roles, and (ii) assessing the roles played by stakeholders and the effectiveness of the interventions they provide. Using an exploratory qualitative design, data were generated through one Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with eight parents and guardians of child survivors and eight Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with policymakers, social welfare officers, law enforcement, health, non-governmental organisation (NGO), and community leadership representatives in Lagos State. Data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke's six-step procedure. Findings show that available services cluster around five functions: psychosocial counselling and protection, inter-agency referral, medical and forensic examination, judicial representation and advocacy, and monitoring/follow-up. Stakeholders performing these functions operate through a multi-sectoral, referral-based system anchored by community leaders as first-contact coordinators, welfare officers as case managers, health institutions as medical-evidentiary partners, and the judiciary as the accountability mechanism. Institutional responsiveness to referred cases was rated positively by most respondents, yet post-intervention monitoring and follow-up were consistently described as weak, inconsistent, and under-resourced, revealing a system that is reactive rather than preventive. Interpreted through Ecological Systems Theory and Social Support and Protection Theory, the findings show that effectiveness is not a fixed institutional attribute but a conditional outcome shaped by inter-agency coordination, funding, and workforce capacity. The article recommends the formalisation of standardised follow-up protocols, investment in case-tracking infrastructure, and strengthened inter-agency coordination mechanisms to convert an already functional referral architecture into a sustainably protective system.