INDIA
• Total Population – 1.2 billion
• Number of Children – 427 million
WHAT
HAPPENS
TO
THESE
CHILDREN?
• Number of Destitute Children – 44 million
WHAT
IS
THEIR
FUTURE?
• Number of orphan children – 12.44 million
• Most of these children reside in residential
child-care homes.
Source : Sub Group Report, Child Protection in the
Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)
SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF GIRLS
IN RESIDENTIAL CARE:
ORGANIZATIONAL OUTLOOK
Satarupa Dutta
Ph.D. Scholar
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
India
INTRODUCTION
• Family is the best social institution for upbringing
a child.
• However, in case of a ‘girl’ child – her status is
marginalized due to existing gender disparities.
• With an increasing incidence of family
disintegration, her vulnerabilities aggravate.
• Hence, there is a growing demand for alternate
care of destitute girls.
TYPES OF ALTERNATE CARE
NonResidential
Care
Residential
Care
Residential
Child Care
Homes
TEXT
TEXT
Adoption
Foster
Care
Sponsorship
LEGAL PROVISIONS
The two overarching legal provisions in India for
the children in need of care and protection are:
 Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection for
Children) Act, 2000 (amended in 2006).
Integrated Child Protection Scheme, 2009.
STATE
DEVELOPMENTAL
SECTOR
PROVIDES
SUPPORT TO THE
GIRL TILL SHE IS
SOCIALLY REINTEGRATED INTO
SOCIETY
WHAT IS SOCIAL RE-INTEGRATION?
Social reintegration is the ability of a target
group to re-enter community life after a
certain period of disassociation or seclusion.
Here, it signifies the re-entry of the girls
residing in residential care back to community
life.
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE
Since the residential homes play a critical role
in the girl’s social reintegration, this study
aims to identify the varying structures,
processes and capacity of organizations to
adapt to shifting environmental situations.
It reviews the policies and practices of social
reintegration of sampled residential homes.
ECOLOGICAL-SYSTEMS THEORY
This study uses the systems theory in
combination with the ecological perspective.
It attempts to understand the organization’s
social reintegration policies vis-à-vis
transforming environmental dynamics
segregated by multiple systemic levels of
power and influence.
MODEL FOR ANALYSIS BASED ON
THE ECOLOGICAL MODEL
POLICY OF
SOCIAL REINTEGRATION
MICROSYSTEM
MESOSYSTEM
MACROSYSTEM
CHRONOSYSTEM
RESEARCH DESIGN
• A qualitative exploratory case-study design has been
used to conduct the study.
• 20 residential homes were sampled, through purposive
sampling, from 2 Indian metropolitan cities.
• At least 2 semi-structured interviews were undertaken
at each organization.
• Interview duration: 40 minutes.
• The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and
thematically organized, highlighting few quantitative
figures.
COMPOSITION OF SAMPLE
• The sample included 2 Hindu missionaries, 4
Christian missionaries, 1 governmental
organization and 14 secular organizations
(including 8 state-aided).
• The organizations had several areas of
interventions - adoption centre, vocational courses,
community outreach programmes, sponsorship
schemes, youth hostels, schools, crèche facilities,
etc.
• Residential child-care homes was one of their core
programmes.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
FUNCTIONAL
HEAD
DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS
RESIDENTIAL
CHILD CARE
UNIT
SOCIAL
WORKER
SUPERINTENDENT/
MATRON
COUNSELLOR
/PSYCHOLOGIST
CLEANING
STAFF AND
COOK
HOUSE
MOTHER
SECURITY
C
H
I
L
D
R
E
N
MODELS OF CARE
INSTITUTIONAL
CARE MODEL
GROUP-HOME
CARE MODEL
17 SAMPLED RESIDENTIAL HOMES
3 SAMPLED RESIDENTIAL HOMES
AN INTRODUCTION TO
ORGANIZATIONS
• Girls : Care-giver Ratio varied from 15:1 to 40:1;
average – 28:1.
• Lack of professional social worker, religious sisters
or destitute women, mostly cared for the girls as
house-mothers.
• State support was minimal and insufficient,
ranging from 900/- to 1250/- per child per
month.
• High reliance on private funding and charity.
• Professionalism and visibility of organizations
varied across the 2 cities.
ORGANIZATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES
SOCIAL RE-INTEGRATION – AN
ORGANIZATIONAL GRASSROOT
DEFINITION
• Very loosely defined.
• The perceived meaning and value given by the
organizations played a critical role in their
understanding.
• The different social reintegration services
included: adoption, family reunification, provision
of free education and vocational training,
emotional and psychological support, life-skill
education, marriage, job placement and financial
independence and emergency support post social
reintegration.
• The age for social reintegration of the girls varied
from 0 to 23 years.
• 80 percent organizations focussed more of reintegration of orphan and homeless girls, rather
than girls with single or both parents, guardians or
relatives.
• In 40 percent organizations social re-integration of
olders girls after 18 years was sketchy, informal and
practically non-existent.
• Only 20 percent organizations provided the girls
with long-term psychological support and
emergency assistance post social re-integration.
“The girls here are admitted privately. The admissions are
open from April to June every year for girls in the age group
of 6 to 10 years. All the girls and their guardians are
interviewed by the interview panel. The selected girls stay
with us till they complete their secondary school certificate
(SSC) examination. We provide them education and
vocational training for their rehabiliation and social
reintegration. But once they complete their SSC, they return
to their family. We are no longer responsible for them.”
“We admit girls at the age of 5 through interviews and
these girls are provided education, vocational training and
moral values to develop into a human being. Thereafter,
once they complete their eighth standard they are required to
take a call whether they like to continue staying with the
ashram. We provide them further education till graduation
if they show a willingness to become a celibate religious nun
after they turn 30 years. The choice of course is given to
them. If the girls are reluctant, they are expected to leave.”
“... In case of the homeless girls we try to trace their
families and re-unify them. The girls with single parents or
troubled family are kept here for a limited period of time.
During this time, the parents are asked to save money with
the organization for the girl’s future. The orphan girls stay
with us till the age of 23. Once they are 18 years they start
working while studying and begin to save for their future.
By the time they leave, they have savings ranging from
Rs.50000 to Rs.100000. This amount acts as a security
to start their new life. We also help them to get married, if
requested. They also come to us in case of emergencies and
we support them in whatever way possible.”
• As observed, at the micro level, organizational
goals and objectives, expertise of staff members
and financial situation significantly affects the
social reintegration policy and its implementation.
• However, multiple environmental factors beyond
the organization, at the meso and macro level also
has a major impact.
THE INTERACTIVE MESO-SYSTEM
CLIENT
GROUP
(GIRLS)
PARENTS/
LEGAL
GUARDIAN
OF THE
GIRLS
ORGANIZAT
IONAL
ALUMNI
ORGANIZATION
SPONSORS
AND
FUNDING
BODIES
PLACEMENT
AGENCIES
OTHER
CHILD-CARE
AND
AFTERCARE
HOMES
MESO-ENVIRONMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
CHALLENGES
• Linkage with other
organizations helped to
transfer the girls after a
certain age.
• Significant resources came
in through charities and
philanthropists.
• Success stories of alumni
motivate the young girls.
• The girl’s inability to
adjust to the routines of
the residential home
affected her social
reintegration.
• Families pressurized to
discharge the girl early for
marriage.
• Placing the girls in
employment was
problematic.
• Mobilizing resources for
capital investment was
difficult.
“Whenever we are not able to place the girl in any job or get
her married, then we absorb her and recruit her as a staff
member. We do have house mothers who use to stay with us as
orphans in our home. It is very difficult to throw them out.
Sustaining this way is not always a solution. We do not know
how we will deal with it in the future.”
“We are here for nearly 113 years now but for the past few
years it has been very difficult to sustain. We have an
outstanding loan of Rs.100000. We wanted to expand and
began construction but due to paucity of funds we had to halt
the work. We have to depend on private sponsorship because
government funding is not enough to run such a huge
establishment with 350 children and 48 staff members.”
THE OVER-ARCHING MACROSYSTEM
STATE
CIVIL SOCIETY
• Legislative laws relating to
social reintegration are
vague and ambiguous.
• State resources are
minimal and inadequately
utilized.
• There is gap between
theory and practice.
• Sometimes legal
provisions act as a
constraint to the
functioning of residential
homes.
• The civil society support
in the form of charity
and philanthropy was
ample.
• Contribution through
voluntary service.
• Reduced stigma
associated with the girls
past.
• Increased acceptance of
the girls as daughters-inlaw and wives.
“We care for the girls since they are born. Earlier these girls stayed
with us till they were married or placed in some job and could
manage independently. But now the Child Welfare Committee has
ruled that only organizations which have licence to care for destitute
women can house the girls after 18 years. We do not have that
licence. So we are forced to either re-unify the girl with the family or
transfer her to another organization after she turns eighteen, even if
she is not ready for reintegration.”
“People are more accepting in metropolitan cities like Mumbai,
Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore... But I have worked in
Orissa for a long time. People are not so acccepting there. They will
donate but will not be willing to accept them as a wife or a daughterin-law. It is very difficult to get the girls married in such
circumstances.”
CHRONOSYSTEM
• All the organizations except one had been housing girls for
nearly three decades. Few were more than a century old.
• Most of the older organizations had meagre beginnings. A
few children, a rent shelter and a noble cause.
• Since most of these organizations were quite old, they had
their own way of functioning. The lack of interest among
most respondents to tie up the loopholes in their process of
social reintegration was very evident. They were satisfied with
their policies and practises.
• Embroidery and tailoring continue to be primary vocational
training available to the girls in most organizations even
though web designing, computer courses, animation, catering,
hospitality management, beautician courses, printing and also
interior designing are more lucrative options.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 The age for social reintegration of girls must be increased
beyond 21 years. It is very difficult for an orphan girl to live
independently by herself at this age.
 The Child Welfare Committee must have a standard
procedure for monitoring of all residential child-care
homes and after-care homes irrespective of the fact
whether they admission criteria and allocation of funds.
 Efforts must be made to include after-care facilities within
the residential home, so that the youth does not require
adjusting to new environment post eighteen years.
 Social reintegration must be viewed as an important aspect
for an effective future of the girl and not be side-lined. An
individual child-care plan highlighting the process of
gradual transition must be developed.
 Simple life-skill education and awareness programmes
must be organized regularly as a part of the curriculum.
 Family strengthening programs must be undertaken
vigorously by all organizations.
 The organizations may not be able to house the girls in
crisis situations post their social reintegration but regular
follow-up must be conducted for at least a specified period
of time. A separate team can be set up for facilitating
effective intervention.
 Forums must be created by RCCHs to discuss about their
best practices and improve relationships. A lot of other
discrepancies in the standard of social reintegration
policies as practised by different organizations can thus be
streamlined.