Establishment of Family Care Authority is a Major Step to Enhance Social Sector Services

The Family Care Authority (FCA) in Abu Dhabi was established to fulfil the vision of the Department of Community Development (DCD) in Abu Dhabi to achieve a dignified life for all members of community. It also marks a continuation of DCD’s efforts to enhance family cohesion and stability, in addition to building an integrated governance model to manage family cases and providing family care services to all members of society through a single point of contact and a unified database.

The establishment of the authority in Abu Dhabi is part of the efforts to strengthen the position of the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular, as a model of improving the quality of life for families. FCA will work to establish partnerships with the public, private and third sectors to support and improve the quality of family care services, develop knowledge and skills of individuals serving the social sector, define the needs of families and provide appropriate services in accordance with the emirate's policies, legislation and regulations.

His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of DCD, said: “The Department seeks to identify the needs of the beneficiaries and provide them with proactive and specialised services to improve t the quality of life, in addition to social, emotional, and financial well-being. This can only be achieved by establishing a framework for the social sector and developing new social welfare standards that ensure rapid response to the needs of society, ease of access, and continuous quality improvements.”

H.E. Al Khaili added: "DCD has taken several steps to move forward, such as the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Social Support Authority to provide for low-income families, establishment of the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an to activate community participation and volunteering, and the restructuring of Abu Dhabi Center for Sheltering and Humanitarian Care – Ewaa, in addition to the recent establishment of the Authority. These milestones supports the social sector system and achieves the aspirations of DCD to build a cohesive family that forms the nucleus of a tolerant and inclusive society for its various groups.”

For her part, Her Excellency Dr. Bushra Abdullah Al Mulla, Director General of FCA, confirmed that the establishment of the Authority is an essential step in the journey of developing the social sector, as it will work to address the needs of families in Abu Dhabi in accordance with the directions of the leadership that are based on a vision of the nation for the next 50 years. FCA will contribute to providing the necessary tools to raise and improve the quality of life for families and help in achieving a decent standard of living for all members of society.

Al Mulla said: “The Authority will undertake key tasks, including providing social services to enhance family welfare, conducting studies on changing social needs, providing integrated case management services for every family and a single point of contact, enabling the provision of more effective social services, in addition to establishing partnerships with the private and third sectors to provide social services in accordance with the emirate’s policies, laws, and regulations.”

She added: "FCA's mandate includes proposing and developing policies and strategic family care plans and beneficiary services, linking their outcomes to improving families' quality of life, conducting research and studies to identify challenges and propose necessary legislation and programmes to improve case management, raising community awareness on family’s role, and providing counselling, psychological, and social support to protect beneficiaries from abuse and mistreatment.”

The Director General of FCA indicated that the Authority's services will include eight main categories, namely the family, the elderly, people of determination, women, children, youth, men and people with a troubled past. The authority drives societal awareness of the role of the family in society, in coordination with the relevant authorities, instilling noble values, principles, ethics, and strengthening national identity and patriotism.