Alternative Care for Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC)

1. Alternative Care for Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC) Navajeevan Bala Bhavan, Vijayawada

2. Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh • 275km north-east of Hyderabad • Travel hub – largest railway junction in the South Central section of the Indian Railways • Industrial city – agro-based industries and automobile based industries • Nearly 3,000 street children • Every day, between 7-25 new children

3. Navajeevan Bala Bavan • Salesians of Don Bosco invited to open a shelter for street children by Municipal Corporation of Vijayawada in 1989. • Shelter inaugurated in 1990, closes due to political opposition in 1992. • Salesians continue to work with street-children and project revived in 1993.

4. Navajeevan Bala Bhavan • Support and rehabilitation for street children and other young people in difficult circumstances • Support on the street – Street Presence Project • Temporary shelter • 24-hour Drop-In Shelter • Two Night Shelters

5. Residential Re-orientation Camps For street boys • Prerana (below 10 years) • Velugu (between 11 and 14 years) • Vimukti (between 15 and 18 years) For other vulnerable children (e.g. child laborers) • Sethu – for girls • Mettu – for boys

6. Residential Support • Chiguru children’s village • Navajeevan Yuva Bhavan • Navajeevan Vruthy Bhavan • Vimukthi De-Addiction Program • Group homes

7. Vocational Training • Vocational Training Centre, Vijayawada • Vocational Training Centre, Autonagar

8. Support Services • Navajeevan Infirmary • Counseling Project • Home Integration Project • Day Bridge School for Child Laborers

9. Group care – • Part of the compendium of residential care solutions • Started in 1994 • Group of 10 children with a set of foster parents • No drop-outs from this batch – all well-adjusted contributing citizens

10. NBB strong motivation/resolution for Home re-integration • Navajeevan strongly believes in the value of the dictum “there is no place like home” • As of today, NBB has given shelter to 31,538 children, of these 15,539 have been rejoined with their families [as on 8-02-2009]

11. Children in Group Care at Chiguru

12. Cottage 2 at Chiguru

13. Cottage 3 at Chiguru

14. Children & mothers, Chiguru

15. Children in ten Group care Mogga (Bud) centers - currently

17. Children in Foster Care Master Prem Raj Baby Durga Baby Nirmala

18. Process in ‘Foster Care’ • Foster Care in NBB is being implemented following the latest Juvenile Justice Act 2000/06 • Approval is sought from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of the district; CWC conducts enquiry: prospective family.., the child.. gets report ..declares the family ‘Fit Person’…passes order • Two full time staff have been appointed for identifying Foster Parents • To date 85 families have been contacted and 10 families are ready to foster care • Of those children in various rehabilitation centers between 5-12 years, there are 45 boys and 28 girls, who are orphans and need foster parents

19. Rationale • Children leave homes because of abusive or unhappy situations • Need loving care and attention to offset early negative experience • Street experience makes it difficult to fit in with regimentation of hostels • “group situation” because of dearth of suitable care parents

20. Replication of model • Success of first experiment led to replication • Number of children with each set of care parents varied from 10 to 16. • Total number of children served through this model – 112 • Total number of care Parents are 9 couples and 1 care mother

21. Replication of model • In one exceptional case, 27 young people with one set of care parents • These young people were older than 14 and in vocational training • Other children – students at various schools • Less than 5% drop out in the entire experiment

22. Current status of model • Currently, 112 children in group care • 9 sets of care parents and 1 care mother • 9 to 10 children per couple, 13 children with care mother • 2 girl children in foster care • 1 boy attached to a family (psychological support)

23. Support systems (Financial) • Rs. 650 per child per month for food expenses • House rent paid by NBB • Stationery, books, clothing and medical expenses met by NBB through care parents

24. Support systems (Technical) • Regular follow-up home visits by Fr. Michael, trained counselor and psychologist and the counseling team members • Regular meetings with the care parents [once in two months] • Quarterly trainings by the counselors

25. Challenges • Difficulties in finding sets of care parents • Trained care parents leave in the middle of the school year • Trained care parents are not sustained for significant length of time • Not easy to find willing and suitable foster parents • Lobby with the Gov. for a more proactive approach to ‘foster care’ – JJ Rules (AP)

26. Planned Sustenance aspects • Currently NBB is not receiving any support from a donor agency towards ‘Alternative Care’. NBB looks forward to that • NBB has already initiated the process of finding sponsorship for the children and in this regard, NBB needs to intensify efforts.

27. The way forward • Increase efforts to motivate people to become foster parents or care parents • Appoint more full time staff to identify interested families for foster care • Convinced of the value of the experience and move more vigorously in this line • Study the Rajasthan model (18k children in FC), propose it to state Govt.

28. Thank You!