Kejriwal Government will upgrade and strengthen all its child care institutions across Delhi to provide better remedial care and protect the well-being of children residing in them. In view of the same, Women and Child Development Minister Ms. Atishi held a review meeting with department officials. While reviewing the reports on various government-run Child Care Institutions, she said, “Children who come to child care institutions have traumatic pasts. It is very important for such children to receive special care in order to forget their past experiences and integrate into mainstream society. In this direction, the Kejriwal government is working to upgrade its child care institutions. Under this, efforts will be made to provide skill and art-based education to children so that they become self-reliant and stress-free. At the same time, employees of these institutions will also be trained by experts so that they can better understand the needs of children and work for their betterment.”
The WCD Minister further said that the government is committed to strengthening basic foundational skills among all children in Delhi. In this regard, the government will now introduce Mission Buniyaad in its child care institutions too, so that their foundational skills can be strengthened and they can adapt to mainstream education easily. Along with this, the Government will also introduce skill education and art-based learning in these institutions to help children in institutional care become more self-reliant and emotionally sound.
Speaking about the integration of art-based learning in CCIs, Ms. Atishi said, “Children admitted in child care institutions have special needs. To overcome the trauma of the past they need to be engaged in various activities that can help them relieve their stress. Keeping this need of children in mind, the government will introduce art-based learning in CCIs too, to help them express their emotions explicitly.”
She added that along with new learning activities, the Kejriwal government will also focus on mindset change of the staff employed at the institutions and provide them with expert training so that they can take better care of children residing in CCIs. This will increase their sensitivity toward the needs of children in distress.
It is to be noted that the Delhi government is currently operating 25 child care institutions, including 16 children homes for children between the ages of 6 to 18, an SAA for children aged 0 to 6, 3 observation homes, 1 special home, 2 places of safety, and 2 aftercare homes. Here children are provided with facilities like food, shelter, and medicine, drug de-addiction services, formal and informal education as per the child’s needs, recreational activities, mental health services, vocational training, and legal aid.
