Revolutionizing Child Care: India’s Shift from Institutions to Family-Based Solutions

In drought-prone areas, migration for work disrupts families, leading to challenges like disrupted education and child labor. UNICEF, with district authorities, pushes for family-based care. Under the Vatsalya Mission, the number of children in non-institutional care quadrupled between 2021-24. Initiatives focus on fostering kinship care and preventing family separation.

In many drought-prone villages across India, seasonal migration due to work leads families into making difficult choices, often resulting in disruption of children's education and increased risks of child labor and early marriages.

To counter this, UNICEF, in conjunction with district authorities and NGOs, has rolled out the 'Kinship and Community-Based Care Programme'. This initiative aims to empower families to care for children locally, without resorting to institutional care, aligning with the broader Mission Vatsalya strategy.

Since the launch of Mission Vatsalya, non-institutional care has surged, with a fourfold increase in beneficiaries. Notable stories emerge from families like Dashrat Tambe's, highlighting the initiative's potential for keeping children in stable environments, although challenges remain, including financial strains and access to resources.

(With inputs from agencies.)