The Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched Mission Vatsalya to ensure the safety and protection of children in the country. The village-level Child Welfare and Protection Committee (CW&PC) will work to identify children in need, such as orphans or street children, and facilitate their support through the scheme’s sponsorship component.
The Birth of Mission Vatsalya
Before 2009, the Ministry of Women and Child Development implemented three separate schemes: a juvenile justice program for children in need of care and those in conflict with the law; an integrated program for street children; and a scheme providing assistance to children’s homes. In 2010, these schemes were consolidated into the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, which subsequently got renamed as the Child Protection Services Scheme in 2017. Finally, it was reintroduced as Mission Vatsalya in 2021-22.
Scheme Overview
Mission Vatsalya serves as the umbrella scheme for child protection services in India. Its objective is to secure a healthy and content childhood for every child in the country. Key components of the scheme include improving statutory bodies’ functioning, enhancing service delivery structures, increasing institutional care and services, promoting non-institutional community-based care, offering emergency outreach services, and bolstering training and capacity-building initiatives.
Objectives
Mission Vatsalya aims to ensure children can reach their full potential and flourish in all aspects. It seeks to foster a sensitive, supportive, and harmonized ecosystem for child development, and assist states and union territories in implementing the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Furthermore, it aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Modes of Non-Institutional Care for Children
There are several forms of non-institutional care provided under Mission Vatsalya. These include government and private-aided sponsorship, foster care, adoption, and aftercare.
About Sponsorship
In cases of sponsorship, either the government or private individuals provide financial assistance.
Foster Care and Adoption
Foster care involves an unrelated family taking responsibility for caring and rehabilitating a child, with financial support provided by the scheme. For children legally free for adoption, families are found and the process is facilitated by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
Aftercare Services
Mission Vatsalya provides financial support to children leaving a Child Care Institution on turning 18 years old. This aid, which may extend up to 23 years, helps them reintegrate into society and become self-reliant.
Child Welfare Committees
State governments establish Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) in each district to protect and care for children in need. Each CWC consists of a Chairperson and four members, including at least one woman and one expert on matters concerning children. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, mandates at least one CWC in every district, with CWCs functioning as a Bench of Magistrates with authority to adjudicate cases related to children’s care, protection, treatment, development, and rehabilitation. Mission Vatsalya supports setting up and guarantees the effective execution of CWC functions.
