The parent can decide if the committee will take care of the child temporarily or permanently. Kids who have lost both their parents to Covid and need to be looked after will be under the panel’s care.
Any parent who has lost her/his spouse to Covid and is finding it difficult to take care of their kid can approach the Child Welfare Committee in the district, the chairperson of the panel in Gurgaon said on Thursday.
The parent can decide if the committee will take care of the child temporarily or permanently. Kids who have lost both their parents to Covid and need to be looked after will be under the panel’s care, officials have said.
The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Gurgaon has received three requests recently. The first case was of a child in Delhi and it has been forwarded to the state government. In the second case, a 16-year-old child has been sent to a childcare institution. The kids have lost both their parents.
The third case is about four children, who lost their father in an accident last year and their mother due to Covid recently. The siblings have been placed in a childcare institute.
“We are hearing about many such cases and we want to extend all possible help from our end. Any parent can approach us and we will do the needful,” said Sunil Kohli, chairperson, CWC, Gurgaon.
From next week, the CWC plans to start an awareness drive, especially in the slum areas, and educate residents about the provision.
“The duration of a child’s stay with us will depend on what the parent wants. A person can leave a child under our care till the time she/he finds a job or one can surrender a child permanently after the required paperwork,” said Upasana Sachdev, a CWC member in Gurgaon.
She added that in case of a permanent surrender, a parent will have to sign a deed and the entire legal process would be carried out before the handover. Once under CWC’s care, the kid will be placed in a childcare institution, a CWC official said.
“The policy is applicable across the entire state,” Sachdeva said.
Meanwhile, the Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) has launched a helpline for kids affected by Covid. People can call at 1800-180-2410 and 9478006570 to report a specific case where a child can be helped. So far, no exercise has been carried out in the state to ascertain the number of children in need of care. But officials said the number is likely to be high.
Kamlesh Dhanda, minister for women and child development, Haryana, did not respond to repeated calls.
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