Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society. Facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation, they are sometimes deprived from realizing their rights to healthcare, education, and even survival. Children with disabilities are children first and hence have the same rights as other children. One of the ten key strategies for the achievement of the objectives of the national Child and Family Welfare Policy is empowering families in their role as primary caregivers, thus caring for children including children with disabilities has been clearly stated in the laws and policies of the country as part of the rights of every child and is a very important component of the welfare of the child and the family. It is therefore important to empower caregivers of children with disabilities with such knowledge in order to provide quality care to these children. This Training Manual for Caregivers of Children with disabilities has therefore been developed by the Department of Social Welfare with UNICEF support to equip caregivers of children with disabilities (which include biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, caregivers in institutions, caregivers in day care centers, healthcare providers, teachers of special needs schools, etc.) with the needed knowledge and skill in order for them to be able to provide the required quality of care for the children for them to grow and develop well and become productive in society despite their disabilities.
