INDIA• Total Population – 1.2 billion• Number of Children – 427 million• Number of Destitute Children – 44 million• Number of orphan children – 12.44

million

• Most of these children reside in residential child-care homes.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE CHILDREN?

WHAT IS THEIR FUTURE?

Source : Sub Group Report, Child Protection in the Eleventh Five Year

Plan (2007-2012)

SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF GIRLS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE: ORGANIZATIONAL OUTLOOK

Satarupa DuttaPh.D. Scholar

Tata Institute of Social SciencesIndia

INTRODUCTION

• Family is the best social institution for upbringing a child.

• However, in case of a ‘girl’ child – her status is marginalized due to existing gender disparities.

• With an increasing incidence of family disintegration, her vulnerabilities aggravate.

• Hence, there is a growing demand for alternate care of destitute girls.

TYPES OF ALTERNATE CARE

Residential

Child Care

Homes

AdoptionTEXT TEXT

Residential Care

Non-Residential Care

FosterCare

Sponsor-ship

PREFER

RED

LEGAL PROVISIONS

The two overarching legal provisions in India for the children in need of care and protection are:

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection for Children) Act, 2000 (amended in 2006).

Integrated Child Protection Scheme, 2009.

STATE

RESOURCES

DEVELOPMENTAL SECTOR

PROVIDES SUPPORT TO

THE GIRL TILL SHE IS SOCIALLY RE-INTEGRATED INTO SOCIETY

WHAT IS SOCIAL RE-INTEGRATION?

Social reintegration is the ability of a target group to re-enter community life after a certain period of disassociation or seclusion.

Here, it signifies the re-entry of the girls residing in residential care back to community life.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

Since the residential homes play a critical role in the girl’s social reintegration, this study aims to identify the varying structures, processes and capacity of organizations to adapt to shifting environmental situations.

It reviews the policies and practices of social reintegration of sampled residential homes.

ECOLOGICAL-SYSTEMS THEORY

This study uses the systems theory in combination with the ecological perspective.

It attempts to understand the organization’s social reintegration policies vis-à-vis transforming environmental dynamics segregated by multiple systemic levels of power and influence.

MODEL FOR ANALYSIS BASED ON THE ECOLOGICAL MODEL

POLICY OF SOCIAL RE-

INTEGRATION

MICROSYSTEM

MESOSYSTEM

MACROSYSTEM

CHRONOSYSTEM

RESEARCH DESIGN

• A qualitative exploratory case-study design has been used to conduct the study.

• 20 residential homes were sampled, through purposive sampling, from 2 Indian metropolitan cities.

• At least 2 semi-structured interviews were undertaken at each organization.

• Interview duration: 40 minutes.

• The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and thematically organized, highlighting few quantitative figures.

COMPOSITION OF SAMPLE

• The sample included 2 Hindu missionaries, 4 Christian missionaries, 1 governmental organization and 14 secular organizations (including 8 state-aided).

• The organizations had several areas of interventions - adoption centre, vocational courses, community outreach programmes, sponsorship schemes, youth hostels, schools, crèche facilities, etc.

• Residential child-care homes was one of their core programmes.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTUREBOARD OF DIRECTORS

FUNCTIONAL HEAD

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS

RESIDENTIAL CHILD CARE

UNIT

SOCIAL WORKER

SUPERINTEN-DENT/

MATRON

COUNSELLOR/PSYCHOLO-

GIST

CLEANING STAFF AND

COOK

HOUSE MOTHER

SECURITY

CHILDREN

MODELS OF CARE

INSTITUTIONAL CARE MODEL

GROUP-HOME CARE MODEL

17 SAMPLED RESIDENTIAL HOMES

3 SAMPLED RESIDENTIAL HOMES

AN INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONS

• Girls : Care-giver Ratio varied from 15:1 to 40:1; average – 28:1.

• Lack of professional social worker, religious sisters or destitute women, mostly cared for the girls as house-mothers.

• State support was minimal and insufficient, ranging from 900/- to 1250/- per child per month.

• High reliance on private funding and charity.

• Professionalism and visibility of organizations varied across the 2 cities.

ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

SOCIAL RE-INTEGRATION – AN ORGANIZATIONAL GRASSROOT

DEFINITION• Very loosely defined.

• The perceived meaning and value given by the organizations played a critical role in their understanding.

• The different social reintegration services included: adoption, family reunification, provision of free education and vocational training, emotional and psychological support, life-skill education, marriage, job placement and financial independence and emergency support post social reintegration.

• The age for social reintegration of the girls varied from 0 to 23 years.

• 80 percent organizations focussed more of re-integration of orphan and homeless girls, rather than girls with single or both parents, guardians or relatives.

• In 40 percent organizations social re-integration of olders girls after 18 years was sketchy, informal and practically non-existent.

• Only 20 percent organizations provided the girls with long-term psychological support and emergency assistance post social re-integration.

“The girls here are admitted privately. The admissions are open from April to June every year for girls in the age group of 6 to 10 years. All the girls and their guardians are interviewed by the interview panel. The selected girls stay with us till they complete their secondary school certificate (SSC) examination. We provide them education and vocational training for their rehabiliation and social reintegration. But once they complete their SSC, they return to their family. We are no longer responsible for them.”

“We admit girls at the age of 5 through interviews and these girls are provided education, vocational training and moral values to develop into a human being. Thereafter, once they complete their eighth standard they are required to take a call whether they like to continue staying with the ashram. We provide them further education till graduation if they show a willingness to become a celibate religious nun after they turn 30 years. The choice of course is given to them. If the girls are reluctant, they are expected to leave.”

“... In case of the homeless girls we try to trace their families and re-unify them. The girls with single parents or troubled family are kept here for a limited period of time. During this time, the parents are asked to save money with the organization for the girl’s future. The orphan girls stay with us till the age of 23. Once they are 18 years they start working while studying and begin to save for their future. By the time they leave, they have savings ranging from Rs.50000 to Rs.100000. This amount acts as a security to start their new life. We also help them to get married, if requested. They also come to us in case of emergencies and we support them in whatever way possible.”

• As observed, at the micro level, organizational goals and objectives, expertise of staff members and financial situation significantly affects the social reintegration policy and its implementation.

• However, multiple environmental factors beyond the organization, at the meso and macro level also has a major impact.

THE INTERACTIVE MESO-SYSTEM

ORGANIZATION

CLIENT GROUP (GIRLS)

PARENTS/ LEGAL

GUARDIAN OF THE GIRLS

PLACEMENT AGENCIES

OTHER CHILD-CARE

AND AFTER-CARE

HOMES

SPONSORS AND

FUNDING BODIES

ORGANIZATIONAL

ALUMNI

MESO-ENVIRONMENTOPPORTUNITIE

S• Linkage with other

organizations helped to transfer the girls after a certain age.

• Significant resources came in through charities and philanthropists.

• Success stories of alumni motivate the young girls.

CHALLENGES• The girl’s inability

to adjust to the routines of the residential home affected her social reintegration.

• Families pressurized to discharge the girl early for marriage.

• Placing the girls in employment was problematic.

• Mobilizing resources for capital investment was difficult.

“Whenever we are not able to place the girl in any job or get her married, then we absorb her and recruit her as a staff member. We do have house mothers who use to stay with us as orphans in our home. It is very difficult to throw them out. Sustaining this way is not always a solution. We do not know how we will deal with it in the future.”

“We are here for nearly 113 years now but for the past few years it has been very difficult to sustain. We have an outstanding loan of Rs.100000. We wanted to expand and began construction but due to paucity of funds we had to halt the work. We have to depend on private sponsorship because government funding is not enough to run such a huge establishment with 350 children and 48 staff members.”

THE OVER-ARCHING MACROSYSTEM

STATE• Legislative laws

relating to social reintegration are vague and ambiguous.

• State resources are minimal and inadequately utilized.

• There is gap between theory and practice.

• Sometimes legal provisions act as a constraint to the functioning of residential homes.

CIVIL SOCIETY• The civil society

support in the form of charity and philanthropy was ample.

• Contribution through voluntary service.

• Reduced stigma associated with the girls past.

• Increased acceptance of the girls as daughters-in-law and wives.

“We care for the girls since they are born. Earlier these girls stayed with us till they were married or placed in some job and could manage independently. But now the Child Welfare Committee has ruled that only organizations which have licence to care for destitute women can house the girls after 18 years. We do not have that licence. So we are forced to either re-unify the girl with the family or transfer her to another organization after she turns eighteen, even if she is not ready for reintegration.”

“People are more accepting in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore... But I have worked in Orissa for a long time. People are not so acccepting there. They will donate but will not be willing to accept them as a wife or a daughter-in-law. It is very difficult to get the girls married in such circumstances.”

CHRONOSYSTEM• All the organizations except one had been

housing girls for nearly three decades. Few were more than a century old.

• Most of the older organizations had meagre beginnings. A few children, a rent shelter and a noble cause.

• Since most of these organizations were quite old, they had their own way of functioning. The lack of interest among most respondents to tie up the loopholes in their process of social reintegration was very evident. They were satisfied with their policies and practises.

• Embroidery and tailoring continue to be primary vocational training available to the girls in most organizations even though web designing, computer courses, animation, catering, hospitality management, beautician courses, printing and also interior designing are more lucrative options.

RECOMMENDATIONS The age for social reintegration of girls

must be increased beyond 21 years. It is very difficult for an orphan girl to live independently by herself at this age.

The Child Welfare Committee must have a standard procedure for monitoring of all residential child-care homes and after-care homes irrespective of the fact whether they admission criteria and allocation of funds.

Efforts must be made to include after-care facilities within the residential home, so that the youth does not require adjusting to new environment post eighteen years.

Social reintegration must be viewed as an important aspect for an effective future of the girl and not be side-lined. An individual child-care plan highlighting the process of gradual transition must be developed.

Simple life-skill education and awareness programmes must be organized regularly as a part of the curriculum.

Family strengthening programs must be undertaken vigorously by all organizations.

The organizations may not be able to house the girls in crisis situations post their social reintegration but regular follow-up must be conducted for at least a specified period of time. A separate team can be set up for facilitating effective intervention.

Forums must be created by RCCHs to discuss about their best practices and improve relationships. A lot of other discrepancies in the standard of social reintegration policies as practised by different organizations can thus be streamlined.