Protection of Children in Child Care Institutions

This course deals with the risks children face within the protection system -particularly the Child Care Institutions. It is divided into 10 sessions requiring about 80 minutes to complete the course.

The first session is the introduction and context setting where the instructors elaborate on the vulnerability of children and how some children are more vulnerable than others. It also discusses the various care alternatives and why institutional care is still a necessity in the Indian context.

Session 2 Gives an overview of the various Rights that are categorized under the Fundamental Right to Protection as per the UNCRC.

Session 3 Explains the various infrastructural risks that children face within the protective walls of an institution.

Session 4 Elaborates on how children may get neglected in various ways while in Care.

Session 5 Explains the concept of Abuse and discusses the details of physical and emotional abuse of children.

Session 6 Deals exclusively with the various forms of sexual abuse whether contact or non-contact. It also discusses the effects of child sexual abuse on a person’s entire life.

Session 7 Details out how to recognize signs of abuse which will help in curbing it at an early stage.

Session 8 Elaborates on preventive measures that can be practiced in a child care institution to minimize abuse. These include the importance of having the right kind of people to associate with this work, logistical arrangements that need to be put in place and the importance of various forums available for children to express their concerns.

Session 9 Discusses the mechanism that needs to be in place to be able to respond to any incidence of abuse.

Finally the 10th session explains how a child protection policy can be formulated for a CCI to be able to keep the children under its care - safe and well protected.