Kerala to implement deinstitutionalisation for better psychological development of children

Dileep V Kumar - The New Indian Express

The government of the Indian state of Kerala is considering a plan to deinstitutionalize their residential care system, reintegrating children from child care institutions (CCIs) into their families of origin or finding family-based alternative care options such as foster care and adoption, according to this article from the New Indian Express. “Across the world, efforts are on to reduce the number of children in institutional care. The prime reason for the same is the impact of institutionalisation on children. Also, the statistics available with us shows that a majority of the children in residential care could, in turn, be reunited with their families,” said C J Antony, member, Kerala State Child Rights Commission. According to the Women and Child Development Department, recent findings indicate that CCIs in the state are "are largely congested and children are experiencing lack of a rights-based approach," says the article.