NCPCR’s tele counselling logs over 700 calls; extends emotional support to children in Covid times

NEW DELHI: From fear of recovering in isolation to seeking help to cope with behavioural issues like aggression, varied concerns affecting children impacted by Covid-19 have been shared over 742 calls with counsellors since September, when a tele-counselling psychological first aid facility was first launched by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The NCPCR will also be holding a virtual meeting with all the state commissions for protection of child rights on Friday to discuss how support can be given to children who have been orphaned during the pandemic. NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo said that the Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani felt that a meeting must be convened to understand the concerns and measures being taken by SCPCRs and this review will enable further planning for reaching out to children in need.
While calls to counsellors over the last two-three months have been fewer and mostly about anxiety around exam schedules, the second wave of cases has brought children’s health and mental well-being back into focus. The NCPCR has written to the state authorities asking them to re-circulate information about the tele-counselling facility at Covid care centres and isolation facilities and senstise staff, doctors and frontline workers so that children can be guided to seek help from experts on the toll free number.
Meanwhile, the tele-counselling facility called SAMVEDNA (Sensitizing Action on -Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) aims to provide emotional support to children who are in quarantine, isolation or at Covid care centres. Children whose parents or family members are infected and those who have lost their parents to the virus are also a focus group. It is a toll free number 1800-121-2830 serviced by a network of qualified experts, counsellors and psychologists.
While around October- November callers included children directly impacted by Covid, between March 1 to April 15 most of the 76 interventions carried out by counsellors were related to concerns surrounding exam schedules.
Later last year children reported varied concerns. In one case a 6 - year - old child lodged in isolation at a care centre in Kanpur was exhibiting aggressive behaviour. The father of the child reached out to the counsellors who cited this to be a sign of loneliness that the child was experiencing as the parents were caught up in dealing with a health emergency. In another case, a 17 - year - old boy in isolation in a care centre in Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh called to said that he was scared about being alone. In another case also from last year, a 15 - year - old child lodged in isolation at a care centre in Aurangabad shared her frustration of not getting enough love from parents since she had many siblings. She also shared that her parents were trying to put pressure on her to get married early. In this case both the child and her parents were counselled.