Background:
What we know. Children thrive when they grow up in families surrounded by love, support and security. Most families would not leave their children behind in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) if they had been provided with the right support to care for their child. Juvenile Justice Act, United Nation Commission for Child Rights (UNCRC), UN Alternative Care Guidelines & UNICEF all support Family Based and Alternative Care and also believe that CCIs should be the last resort & reunification begins when a child enters an institution.
In light of the above, In March 2019 Miracle Foundation collaborated with 2 CCI/ children home (PILOT CCIs): Gokul Balika Ashram for girls – Matrumandir (Devrukh - Ratnagiri, Maharashtra) & AARAMBH Boys home (Indore, Madhya Pradesh) to create a replicable modal for other CCIs to effectively implement Family Based & Alternative Care through systemic change by engaging multiple stakeholders. This Project is a 2 Year project (Year 1: March 2019 – April 2020, Year 2: April 2020 – March 2021). There are 4 Key areas Pilot Project focuses on:
1. Creating a model for other CCIs by putting together learnings & best practices
2. Showcase a true transformation by incorporating family-based care into the CCI model
3. Strengthening the processes, develop steps for systemic change & gather data for comparative analysis (supporting children in a CCI vs. in a family)
4. Engage government & non-government agencies to promote Family-based & Alternative Care (FBAC) for creating sustainable impact
Internal Mid Term Review (MTR) was conducted after completion of Year 1 of the project to:
1. Ascertain Pilot activities are still coherent with the planned timeline, are relevant & useful to the key stakeholders
2. Also provide an opportunity to make modifications & ensure achievement of indicators from the Evolving Plan (Annexure 1) - a broad plan highlighting major activities within the lifetime of the project
