NEW DELHI, July 7:
Executing a round-the-clock helpline, establishing cradle baby reception centres for the abandoned and promoting family-based non-institutional care for children in difficult situations are among the main components of the new guidelines for the Government’s Mission Vatsalya scheme.
This, along with Mission Shakti and Poshan 2.0 forms a triad of schemes focussing on child protection and welfare services.
According to the guidelines, a round-the-clock helpline will be run under Mission Vatsalya in partnership with states and districts for children as defined under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The helpline will be integrated with the Emergency Response Support System 112 (ERSS-112) helpline of the Home Ministry. The mission portal will provide a unified digital platform for children in difficult circumstances, including those missing, orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered.
These vulnerable children need to be mapped with the Government institutions and services so that their care and development can be the guidelines stated.
“The four different portals under child protection services and Juvenile Justice Act — TrackChild for missing and found children; CARINGS for the adoption of children; integrated child protection services portal for monitoring the scheme and; Khoya-Paya, a citizen-centric application for Missing and sighted children — shall be integrated by the national informatics centre into a single portal,” it said.
The scheme also envisages establishing the Cradle Baby Reception Centres, recognizing that many districts in the country do not have facilities to receive or offer temporary shelter for children in a crisis, especially those abandoned and vulnerable to trafficking.
This centre shall be run by specialised adoption agencies from their premises and shall be equipped with all basic facilities for infants.
The primary objective of these reception centres shall be to rescue abandoned children and provide them with due care and affection till their adoption.
“Each specialised adoption agency shall install one cradle with an alarm bell at the doorstep to receive such babies.
“These Cradle Baby Reception Centres will be linked to cradle points at primary healthcare centres, hospitals or nursing homes, bus and rail stations, in the office of the district child protection units or other designated locations to receive abandoned babies,” the guidelines said.
It also stated that special homes would be set up in every district or a group of districts for long-term rehabilitation and protection of children who are found to have committed an offence.
Also, an Integrated Home Complex of child care institutions called Vatsalya Sadan shall be located within single premises for implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act.
“These Vatsalya Sadans would help in avoiding/minimising disruption, travelling time for case needs and ensuring security provision.
“The states may develop a specific colour scheme and building design specific to the state concerned. The states will be free to allocate additional budget over and above the central and state share in the grant-in-aid,” the guidelines stated.
To promote family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances, a monthly grant of Rs 4,000 per child shall be provided to the state government for sponsorship or foster care or aftercare.
“While placing a child in foster care, preference shall be given to those that share similar cultural, tribal and/or community connection,” the guidelines stated. Foster Care shall include Group Foster Mission Vatsalya Guidelines Care whereby a group of unrelated children are placed with a foster family or under the care of Foster Caregivers in a family-like setting who may or may not be having their own biological children.
Every district will have a Sponsorship and Foster Care Approval Committee to implement and monitor the sponsorship and Foster Care programme as provided under the Mission.
The State governments shall grade each Child Care Institution (CCI) at fixed intervals. The grading shall be done based on infrastructure, quality of services, the well-being of children especially in terms of health and education, restoration and rehabilitation of children, inter alia, the guidelines said. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
