Family and Child Welfare

Family and Child Welfare 3 (3+0)

Lesson 2 : Programmes for Family and child Welfare

Child Welfare programmes

• Integrated Child Development Services Scheme
  The largest in magnitude of all the currently running programmes is the ICDS, perhaps the only one of its kind, Internationally acclaimed for this excellence in conceptualization and outreach. Presently, there are 6719 ICDS projects. It is estimated that there are over 355 lakh mothers and children benefitting from the programme. This was Launched on 2nd October 1975, today, ICDS Scheme represents one of the world’s largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development. ICDS is the foremost symbol of India’s commitment to her children – India’s response to the challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other.
  

  The ICDS scheme has the following objectives:

  1. To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
  2. To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
  3. To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
  4. To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
  5. To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

  The above objectives are sought to be achieved through a package of services comprising:

  1. supplementary nutrition
  2. immunization
  3. health check-up
  4. referral services
  5. pre-school non-formal education and
  6. nutrition & health education

  For extra information: visit http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm

• Integrated Pre-School Projects
  This Programme provides welfare services like education, health and recreation to the pre-school children on an integrated basis. The main objective of the programme is to provide all the basic amenities to a child necessary for his growth and mental development. This is particularly necessary in overcrowded areas of low income group localities where there is poverty, lack of space, etc.


• Welfare Extension Projects
  This scheme launched in 1958, provided a programme of Creches, Balwadis, Craft Education, Social Education for Adult Women, Recreational Activities for Youth, maternity and Child Welfare Services, etc. Each project benefits about 50 families.


• Balwadi Nutrition Programme
  This programme was started in 1970-71 and is being implemented through five major voluntary organizations including Central Social Welfare Board and Indian Council for Child Welfare. Nutritional diet is provided to the children between 3 to 5 years of age to the extent of 300 calories and 10-12 gms protein per child per day.


• Applied Nutrition Programme
  This is an educational programme at the village and family level which aims to bring about change in the choice of food and feeding practices that involve little or no extra expense for the family. This programme directly concentrates on the feeding of the young child, both through the education mother and by channelizing a part of the food produced under various schemes of the programme in the diet of the child.


• Special Nutrition Programme
  This programme was started in 1970-71 with the object of providing supplementary nutrition to pre-school children, pregnant women and nursing mothers from the weaker sections of the community. Children are provided about 300 calories and 8-10 gms of protein whereas mothers are given 500 calories and 25 gms. of protein.


• Mid-day Meals Programme
  Initiated in 1962-63 on the recommendation of National School Health Committee, the scheme covers children of 6-11 years from weaker sections of the society.


• Wheat-Based Supplementary Nutrition Programme
  This programme was introduced in January, 1986 to cover disadvantaged pre-school children and nursing/expectant mothers. This scheme is meant to expand the existing feeding services by covering additional beneficiaries, primarily in tribal areas, urban slums and backward rural areas.


• Creches for Children of Working/Ailing Women
  This scheme provides day care services for children between 0-5 years of poor, working and ailing mothers. The services include health care, supplementary nutrition, sleeping facilities, immunization, play and entertainment for children. Today, there are over 9,000 Creches benefiting over 2.25 lakh children.


• Scheme of Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection
  The Government of India started this scheme for providing services to abandoned, neglected, orphaned and homeless children in 1974-75. Assistance is given to voluntary organizations for extending institutional and non-institutional services to children between 5 to 18 years in need of care and protection.


• National Expanded Programme on Immunization
  This was launched during the Sixth Plan for Controlling communicable diseases, preventable by vaccine. The objective of the programme was to reduce the incidence of diseases like diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Poliomyelitis, Measles and Tuberculosis and to protect every child from these diseases.


• Early Childhood Education Centers
  Recognizing that the holistic nature of child development means covering such aspects as a child's nutritional, health, social, mental, physical, moral and emotional development, early childhood care and education has been accorded high priority in the new National Policy on Education. The early childhood care and education centres are run mainly in non-ICDS areas for the benefit of 3-6 years old children, providing them with early education and care. These are also run through voluntary organizations.


• Welfare of the Handicapped Children
  Several programmes have been taken up for the Welfare of handicapped children. Educational and rehabilitative services are provided by various organizations in the country. Voluntary organizations get financial assistance for education, training and rehabilitation of the handicapped children. The focus is on integration of the handicapped children with the normal children.


• Concern for Child Labour
  Child labour is indeed a curse for children themselves and for the nation. In India, about 44 million children in the age group of 5-15 years are engaged in child labour. This is so, inspite of our constitution prohibiting the employment of children in hazardous occupations. Although, laws have been enacted for this, however, our goal should be to eliminate child labour totally.
  Some serious attempts are being made towards prevention of child labour in hazardous tasks and towards improvement in their presently miserable conditions. The Indian Council for Child Welfare itself is running Child Labour Relief Centres in Delhi and some other States, but this is a small step in the direction of achieving our target.

Other Programmes