MISSION VATSALYA

The Women and Child Development Ministry released guidelines to access central funds and benefits under Mission Vatsalya.

About Mission Vatsalya

• It is the main scheme for child protection services in the country.
• The goal of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for every child in the nation.
• It promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalism of children as a measure of last resort.
• The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in collaboration with the State Governments and the Union Territories, with a fund-sharing pattern in a 60:40 ratio.
• For the state in the northeast as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and UT of Jammu Kashmir, the centre and state /UT share will be 90:10.
• Mission Vatsalya, in partnership with state and districts, will execute 24x7 helpline services for children as defined under Juvenile Justice Act 2015.

Components under Mission Vatsalya include:

• Improve the functioning of statutory bodies,
• Strengthen service delivery structures,
• Upscale institutional care and services,
• Encourage non-institutional community-based care
• Emergency outreach services
• Training and capacity building

Other Provision under the Scheme

• Committees

At the State Level, there will be a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to monitor, review and promote convergence in the implementation of the scheme. There will also be a committee at the district level.

• Promoting adoption

Guidelines state that Mission Vatsalya will support State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA), which will support the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in promoting in-country adoption and regulating inter-country adoption. CARA shall coordinate, monitor, and develop the work related to non-institutional care including adoption in the state.

• Separate children’s homes

Based on gender (including the separate homes for transgender children) and age will be established for children in need of care, as well as for special needs children.

• Sign language

The staff in special units will have to know sign language Braille, etc, according to the new guidelines published

• Grading exercise

State governments are required to take up the exercise to grade each child care institution (CCI) at fixed intervals. The grading will be done based on infrastructure, quality of services, and wellbeing of children, especially in terms of health, education, restoration and rehabilitation of children, etc.

• Focus on Special Need of the Children

States and UTs have also been directed to focus on special needs children in child care institutions, who are unable to attend school with physical or mental disabilities and would now be provided special educators, therapists, and nurses to impart occupational therapy, speech therapy, verbal therapy, and other remedial classes.

• Open Shelter

Open Shelters registered by the state government will also be supported to look after runaway children, missing children, trafficked children, working children, children in street situations, child beggars, child substance abusers, and children affected by any natural disaster, children living in unauthorized areas/slums, etc.

The Open Shelters are not meant to provide permanent residential facilities for children but will complement the existing institutional care facilities.

• Financial Support

Financial support has also been approved for vulnerable children living with extended families or in foster care, supporting their education, nutrition, and health needs.