In a move to shut down unregistered child care institutions in the State, the Department of Social Defence is conducting an inspection across Tamil Nadu. Officials say the inspection that began a week ago is in its final phase.
“It should be completed in a day or two,” said a senior official from the department. As part of the process, officials will provide provisional registrations to the institutions which have the required infrastructure but not registered.
“If they have the infrastructure, we shall issue them the provisional certificate valid for six months. However, within that time they need to produce building licence, fire and safety, sanitary certificates amongst others before the department, and get the permanent certificate,” the official added.
As of May this year, there are 767 registered institutions in the State and 485 unregistered homes were shut down by the department. “It is an ongoing process, but we had to stall it during elections,” the official said.
Pointing out that a home was shut down in Tambaram last week, the official said that it was difficult to identify such homes as many organisations operate on the pretext of running a hostel to avoid registration under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
“Homes situated near or inside schools are converting into hostels to escape registration and inspection, but continue to collect funds showing the children as orphans or destitutes,” said a field officer from the department.
The official added that they were checking if these hostels were implementing relevant rules of the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2014, so that they did not escape registration.
A. Narayanan, Director, CHANGEindia, a Centre for Advocacy, in his petition to the High Court, last month, pointed out that in April and May 2016, out of 634 homes inspected across Tamil Nadu, 13 were closed.
A total of 231 children lived in these 13 homes, of which 212 were sent to their families and 19 were admitted to other child care institutions. “A total of 212 children were reunited with their families, it is a large number. Officials of the District Child Protection Unit must regularly monitor all children’s home and ensure that no child is kept within the institution without the written permission of the respective Child Welfare Committee,” he said.
As of May this year, 767 registered institutions; 485 unregistered homes were shut
