Project report
Essence and Scope of Strengthening Community-Based Preventive Child Care and Protection Systems in India
Ranjan Kanti Panda, Lopamudra Mullick, Subhadeep Adhikary, Neepa Basu, Archana Kumari ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This report describes CINI's work in Jharkhand, India to strengthen community-based child protection systems that keep children with their families rather than in institutions. The authors analysed why children end up in Child Care Institutions and found that lack of coordination between government programmes and policies contributes to over-reliance on institutional care. CINI promoted community participation, safe spaces, and multi-sectoral planning to identify and support vulnerable children and prevent family separation.
Key points
- Current Indian policy over-relies on Child Care Institutions as the response to at-risk children, limiting exploration of family or alternative family care
- Lack of synergy between resource allocation and existing government programmes prevents effective family-based care mechanisms
- CINI analysed vulnerability factors leading to family-child separation in Ranchi and Khunti districts
- Participatory governance with community institutions, children's groups and women's groups created safe spaces for at-risk children
- Multi-sectoral development plans were promoted to address vulnerabilities at source and prevent separation
Limitations
This is a descriptive report of programme approach rather than an impact evaluation. It does not provide quantitative data on outcomes, changes in child welfare indicators, or comparative evidence of effectiveness.
Abstract
This article reflects different programmes and resource components that may be promoted to keep children with either their own family or within alternative family care, satisfying the rights of their overall development. In India, the concept of promoting family-based care mechanisms through government systems has not been fully realised, owing to lack of synergy between resource allocation and existing government programmes, policies and plans of action for child protection. Additionally, the common public discourse is that Child Care Institutions (CCIs) offer suitable care and protection for children outside the parental care. CCIs continue to be identified as the ultimate and the most common response for children at risk. This practice nullifies the scope to explore opportunities for the child to live with their family or in any alternative family care mechanisms. Child in Need Institute (CINI), 1 1 CINI is a national level development organization working on establishing child-friendly communities through its work on health, nutrition, child protection and education for the last forty-five years in India. partnering with Hope and Homes for Children, have analysed the vulnerability factors that led children to arrive at the selected CCIs in Ranchi and Khunti districts of Jharkhand in India. While working with children in the communities, CINI endeavoured to understand the drivers and vulnerabilities leading to family/child separation and what mechanisms could address the vulnerabilities at source and prevent separation. CINI promoted a participatory governance process with the involvement of community-level institutions along with children’s and women’s groups, incubating safe spaces for children that aided in identifying, tracking and promoting multi-sectoral development plans for children at risk.