Giving Compass' Take:

• Satyajeet Mazumdar at IDR goes over how Child Care Institutions (orphanages) can receive adequate support for their children not only from the government but outside sources as well during COVID-19 and the lockdown.

• How can funders work with communities and researchers to ensure that child care systems are safe and effective? 

• Here's an article on the need for a new approach to childcare institutions in India.  

Children residing in Child Care Institutions (CCIs, commonly known as orphanages) in India have often found themselves to be the forgotten lot, when it comes to support and development initiatives by the government. This has also been the case during the current lockdown. This is partly because, according to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act), children in need of care and protection, or CNCP, are supposed to be placed in CCIs temporarily, until suitable means of rehabilitation, such as adoption, placement in foster care, or restoration with family, can be found for them by the authorities.

The reality in most cases, however, is quite different. There are about 3.7 lakh children in more than 9,500 CCIs in India. The number of adoptions and placements in foster care have been dismal—only 4,027 children (0.01 percent) were adopted through the Central Adoption Resource Authority in 2018-19, and official foster care figures are not available. Moreover, the circumstances from which most children are rescued to be placed in CCIs make it difficult for them to be restored with their families. Hence, most children continue to reside in these institutions, which provide them a safe space, care, and basic facilities till they are 18—when they are required to be deinstitutionalised.

The COVID-19 crisis will not only add to the number of children residing in CCIs, but also negatively affect the ability of CCIs to take care of the children already there. Here’s how:

  • CCIs are expecting to see a jump in new admissions
  • The lockdown will affect the well-being of children living in CCIs

Here are some steps that can be taken:

  • Recognising the role of CCIs in child protection
  • Supporting CCIs for COVID-19 specific needs
  • Enabling them to get funding
  • Providing learning opportunities to children
  • Assessing suitability before deinstitutionalisation

Read the full article about how COVID-19 is affecting orphanages in India by Satyajeet Mazumdar at India Development Review (IDR).