PUNE: Maharashtra is soon planning to start a state-wide foster care facility for orphans as well as other children. The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department is currently waiting for a government resolution (GR) to be issued soon in this regard, giving them a nod to work in full-swing.
The WCD will soon begin with foster parents’ registration in the state. This will be initiated under the guidelines of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) by the Central government which states that children should be given non-institutional care.
“We have made the guidelines as per the ICPS and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act which mentions about providing non-institutional care to children who reside in children care homes. The guidelines have been approved, however, we are waiting for the GR to be issued,” said WCD Commissioner Hrishikesh Yashod. A district-level committee including district collector, chairman of child welfare committee, WCD officers among other officials will be constituted.
The committee will conduct the screening of the registered foster parents. “According to the guidelines, there are several parameters which will be checked and verified by this committee about the foster parents. Only after ensuring the child’s safety, they will be allowed to take the responsibility,” Yashod told Sakal Times.
Children who are abandoned by their parents or those whose parents are incapable of taking care of them like children of drug addicts, criminal, ailing parents, etc or who have never undergone adoption will be allowed to avail this facility.
Assistant Commissioner of WCD and Programme Manager of ICPS, Manisha Biraris said that rigorous training will be provided to the committees which will screen and monitor children’s safety during the foster care period. “We have heard about a few cases abroad where children are abused by their parents. To avoid such circumstances, a committee will be formed which will also include social workers to monitor the safety of these children,” she said.
Speaking about whether there was awareness about foster care and parents willing to take up such initiative, Birais said “Currently, foster care happens at a very small scale in different districts in a few states. One of the kinds was observed around festivals when a family takes a child home to celebrate festivals. They are taken home for a week or 10 days and then given back.”
Child activist Anjali Pawar has stated that WCD should carefully study the adverse cases of foster care in developed countries. “Indian culture still hasn’t adopted the concept of foster care. Also, considering the vulnerable conditions faced by children in foster care abroad, the State government should carefully implement it here. There have been several loopholes during adoption which is one of the most difficult procedures, yet disruptions happen. Therefore, identification and scrutiny of the foster parents have to be done thoroughly,” said Pawar.
