Malabar leads the way in foster care

KOZHIKODE: Here is an opportunity for the people to take care of children in shelter homes during the summer holidays and improve the social health of the children.  The vacation foster care project introduced by the Social Justice Department is getting good response from Malabar districts, according to the officials. Nearly 300 applications were received from foster families in Malappuram and Kozhikode to take care of orphan children residing in children’s homes during the summer holidays. The project was tried in Malappuram and Kollam districts last year on an experimental basis.

From Malappuram, the same foster families who had taken the children to their homes in the previous years were considered this year also. Discussions are still going on in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. Children are still to be identified from the homes in these districts to be sent for foster care.

Kollam, where the project was run on an experimental basis, is an exception. Nearly 300 queries were received by the SJD officials there where 20 children would be sent to foster families. Palakkad and Kannur districts do not have enough children to be sent to such homes during holidays.

“The SJD had advertised  in the media seeking prospective parents who are ready to take one child each to their homes during holidays and treat them as their own children and return them to the children’s homes before the holidays end. The project is aimed at improving the social health of the children in the shelter homes,” said child protection officer Sheeba Mumthas.

After the initial inquiry by the department, the children can be taken to homes in the first week of April and they should be returned in the last week of May. The parents will be allowed to take children from the homes in their respective districts, considering safety issues and the availability of SJD officials.

After handing over the children, the child protection unit will conduct weekly visits to the homes to keep a watch on the children and make sure that they are safe. Siblings will be sent together to foster homes. In other cases, one child each will be allowed to be taken to one house.

Collector’s children waiting for new guest

After promoting the ‘Vacation foster care’ project on his popular Facebook page, Kozhikode district collector N. Prasanth is also taking home one of the orphan kids from the children’s home this vacation. Mr Prasanth said that his two children, Varshan and Ammu, were so happy and curious to welcome the new guest. The kid will reach the collector’s bungalow by the second week of April.

“My intention was to promote the project introduced by the Social Justice Department in Malappuram last year. Malappuram already has a section of
people, who are  willing to come forward for such projects. After my Facebook post, lots of enquiries were received at the child protection office. The Special Branch has already inspected the background of the families that are taking the children and home visits were made by the SJD officials,” Mr Prasanth said.

On March 5, the collector had posted on his Facebook page about the project inviting prospective parents from Kozhikode district to take orphan kids to their homes during the summer holidays and to treat them as their own.