CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, April 25: Foster care scheme has been made functional by the District Social Welfare Office and District Child Protection Unit in West Singhbhum as a key component for child protection.
Foster care is an arrangement in which a child usually resides temporarily with another related family member.
Under this scheme, preferences are given to the child’s extended family or close family/friends that the child recognises. However, if there are no such close families, then the preference is given to that family, which has mutual relation in religion / community/ language and culture with the family of children.
In the district, 100 helpless children have benefited from the sponsorship scheme and 5 children have been benefited by the foster care scheme operated through the District Child Protection Unit.
In West Singhbhum, there were many difficulties in implementing the scheme. To overcome these difficulties, a public awareness program was organised in association with the concerned department/unit and NGOs where the harmonious cooperation of all the rural people were made aware of child protection and its benefits.
Till now, Child Protection Committees have been implemented in 1,620 villages as per the drawings across the district.
After the death of the father in village Binua-Chiriya of Manoharpur block area, the condition of the mother of 4 children was bad, but after some time the mother also died. As soon as the information was received by the Village Child Protection Committee, they immediately shared this information with the villagers at the local level.
They motivated the villagers to raise the children in the village itself. Seeing that there was no one in the village to take care of the children, the information was made available to the District Child Protection Unit by the Protection Committee.
They took quick actions with the help of the social workers of the rural area. A family related to the social and cultural interests of the children such as traditions and Sarna religion was selected and a social investigation was done of the past and present of the family.
After this, after meeting the Child Welfare Committee and the village, the couple fulfilling all the criteria for foster family, Sukhdev Toppo and Damayanti Khalkho, who are residents of Dhanapali village of Manoharpur block, were selected and entrusted with the responsibility of raising 4 children.
The children have been brought up properly by the foster family. They have been enrolled in the nearest government primary school with the help of a child protection unit along with disciplined life, keeping friends with neighbors etc.
Ananya Mittal, Deputy Commissioner of Chaibasa said, “There is a need to develop the capacity of human resources at the grassroot level to give new life to the destitute children. Lack of quality prevention and rehabilitation services was a challenge in enforcement of laws. To end violence, abuses and exploitations against children, progress has been made in harmony with everyone in the direction of bringing social awareness, promoting and nurturing legislation.”
