Foster Care for 100 Orphan Children in India

Introduction

Every child should live in a supportive, protective and caring environment that promotes his/her full potential. Children with inadequate or no parental care are at special risk of being denied such a nurturing environment. Children who cannot live with their parents should still grow up in a loving home and enjoy all their rights.Normally, the poor families often place their children into institutional care as a poverty coping measure. In many other cases children run away from their families because of abuse and exploitative conditions and often do not want to be reunited with their families. Hence, they are placed in institutions. As a result, large numbers of children are forced to spend their lives in institutions.
It is an accepted fact that institutionalization of children should be the last resort and the family-based non-institutional care is a better option, to the extent possible, institutionalized children into families, the foster care is an arrangement to ensure that the birth parents do not lose any of their parental rights or responsibilities. With an objective to re-unite the child with his/her own family YCDA has been promoted the foster care initiatives in different districts like Boudh, and Bolangir . YCDA promotes alternative care arrangements with the promotion of safety nets and well being of the child and family.

Intervention During the Period:

Follow up Visit to the Foster children:
Follow up is the major initiative and challenge to promote the initiatives. YCDA has prepared the strategy for the follow-up visit to both the foster family and to the children. Follow up visit has been conducted in regular basis to the foster families and based on the findings the preventative majors were provided to the foster families. 150 numbers of follow up visits have been conducted to each foster care child during this period. During the follow up visit the revisit of Individual care plan ensured. It was ensured the joint monitoring along with CWC and DCPU to the foster families. The follow up visit has been sensitized to the VCPC committee to have their regular concern for the foster children & all the children & families in their village.

Career counseling for Higher/Technical Education:
Particularly for the children placed in the foster families need to have proper counseling and career counsel. As the children are vulnerable so the children need to have proper education and life skill education. YCDA has been endeavored to take the career counsel and to plan for their appropriate education. There after the counseling started and based on their potentiality and interest the appropriate higher & Technical education and trainings are provided. During this year 27 numbers children of career counseling have been conducted and plan to provide them higher & technical education as per their interest. Through the counseling the children have got the right track to choose their career and focused on their education.

Educational Materials Support to the Foster Children:
The major focus of the project is to ensure that all children continue their study. Regular follow up is going on so that children do not get dropped out from schools. All the 100 children are successfully passed out their academic session and enrolled in their next class. The children are going to school & tuition regularly. In the new academic session, as per the need analysis of the care plan, children are supported by reading & writing materials, school bags & tuition fees.

Health Support to the Foster Children:
During the home visit and monitoring visit the social workers and staffs of YCDA sits with the children and foster parents to discuss the health status of the children. The individual care plan and HSR taken to accounts to review the health status based on the needs of the children the health aspects are taken as priority. Sometimes it has been seen that children who are placed in the foster family might not get comfort to express their illness before the foster parents till they cope with the parents. So the social workers responsibility becomes most important to identify the difficulties and disease. As per the analysis the appropriate measures was provided to the children through the health camps. As per needs the health supplements were provided, health camps were facilitated for the children and appropriate medicine were provided as per the advice of the doctors to cure the diseases. As a result 100 numbers of children have got the opportunity to access the health check up facilities and got the appropriate medicine to cure from diseases. 18 numbers of children have been cured from different contagious disease.

Holiday Camp for Children:
Alternative forms of child care are dealing with orphan, semi orphan and other vulnerable children who are deprived of many rights ,education, health, family and so many. In their daily life hardly they get a scope of enjoyment, a friendly atmosphere where they get a chance of fearless, friendly atmosphere and enjoy their childhood in a true sense. Children have different needs and wishes. But to have a good relationship with their peer groups, one must be sensitive to their needs and wishes. YCDA creates a small initiative of this camp to create a child friendly learning atmosphere where children learn, play, enjoy their life and the camp becomes a remarkable event for them.
YCDA has created the opportunity for the children and organised 6 days camp where 100 children have got the emotional maturity and developed the social competence and increased their physical play. They enhanced their ability to communicate and interact positively with others peer group. They have gained knowledge on child protection, life skill & family life education through story telling & role play. Even children learnt Yoga, creative art, thread, spray & pot painting. Children enjoyed a lot the Science magic show & learnt about the scientific reason behind the magic. They also do the fun moments with dancing, playing & singing. All 100 children have got the opportunity of participating in the holiday camps and got opportunity of recreation and basic entertainment.

Our Child Artist…

Thanks for ur Support & Wishes…

Heyy.. See I have done a Colour full Sand art …

Hi !!!, I m a 14 years old boy child, reading in class 9th. I lost my father & my mother is a migrant labor. She left both me & my small brother in village & goes for work. We both live alone in our home but in mean time our foster guardian take care of us. I love to do art & painting. I want to be an artist. I believe that your support definitely fulfills my dream to become an Artist.

• Report on Foster Care for Orphan Children In India (PDF)