Presentation on
The Psychosocial Perspective of Love,
Care and Protection in Infancy and
Young Childhood in the National Plan of
Action for Children in Kenya 2015-2022
By Ruth. N. W. Njuguna
2
Introduction to the
National Plan of Action
 The Government of Kenya has in place
the Kenya Vision 2030 which is a
national long-term development blueprint to create a globally competitive
and prosperous nation with a high
quality life by 2030.
The Vision has three pillars
namely Economic, Social and
Political all aimed at providing
love care and protection for
children. Under the Social Pillar
one of the flag ship projects is the
development of the NPA.
The Government of Kenya under the
National Council for Children’s
Services (NCCS) recently launched the
third National Plan of Action (NPA) in
Kenya 2015-2022. It was developed
in collaboration relevant Government
line Ministries, Departments and
Agencies, key developments partners
and stakeholders.
The NPA provides an operational
framework to guide stakeholders and
partners in coordinating, planning,
implementing and monitoring
programmes for the child. In addition,
it outlines priorities and interventions
necessary for the progressive
realization of children’s rights in Kenya.
It has been aligned to the Constitution
of Kenya and informed by:- Children Act, 2001.
- National Children’s Policy.
- UNCRC.
- ACRWC.
- 2012 and 2015 Economic Surveys
Among other relevant documents
It is structured into four pillars which
are:
- Right to Survival.
- Right to Development.
- Right to Protection.
- Right to Participation.
Right to Survival
It focuses on infancy and young childhood
under the following areas:
Maternal Health
A mother’s good health represents the child’s
best hope for survival. When a mother dies, is
weakened by disability or is overwhelmed by the
needs of many children her children’s lives are
threatened – and too often lost.
Conversely, if a mother’s health
and well-being are supported
together with child survival efforts,
then mothers, children and the
entire society benefits. To achieve
this mother must have antenatal
and postnatal care, skilled delivery,
access to family planning, and post
natal care.
A large proportion of maternal and
neonatal deaths occur during the
first 48 hours. Postnatal care is
therefore important for both
mother and child, to treat
complications arising from delivery
as well as to provide the mother
with important information of how
to care for herself and the child
Others are:Enhanced Immunization.
Balanced Nutrition
Safe drinking water and
sanitation.
Control and management
of
malaria, pneumonia,
diarrhea and HIV and AIDS
among others.
-
Children with disabilities, special needs,
chronic illnesses and conditions.
Health sector service delivery.
Addressing the above issues appropriately
ensures that infants and young children not only
receive curative and preventive health but also
sound child development.
Right to Development
The NPA refers to Child Development as various
dimensions that are physical, social, emotional,
cognitive and spiritual.
To achieve holistic child development children
have a right to:- Education.
- Recreation, leisure, play and cultural.
activities.
- Access to appropriate information
- Parental and family care.
Right to Protection
Findings from the VAC report, 2010 and research
carried out by NCCS and KNBS indicate that
child abuse cases are on the rise. The highest
percentage perpetrators of children being
parents.
This is an indicator that apart from rescuing
children from child abuse a lot needs to be
done on their social emotional well- being.
The NPA has therefore factored the up
scaling of psychosocial support
programmes for abused children .
The programmes include empowering
children, families and communities on
psychosocial care and support
Further, child abuse and other forms of
child exploitation are compounded by child
poverty. Forty six per cent of the Kenya
population live below the poverty line.
Studies by Duncan, Brook –Gunn 1997 on
child outcomes of child well-being
indicates that poor children suffer higher
incidences of adverse health,
developmental and other outcomes than
non poor children.
On cognitive abilities children living below
the poverty threshold are 1.3 times as
likely as non-poor children to experience
learning disabilities and developmental
delays.
The Government of Kenya has therefore
upscaled social protection programmes for
OVC’s and school bursaries to minimize the
risks of their vulnerability.
Right to Participation
The NPA is makes reference to the
Guidelines for Child Participation in
Kenya(Revised 2014) which recognize
the meaningful children’s participation
ought to take place in various decision
making levels that include the:- home,
school,community,national,regional
and international levels
It is therefore envisioned the
provision love, care and protection
of children will increase the
chances of the children to
maximally participate on issues
concerning them at all the above
mentioned levels.
METHOD
The overall Management, Oversight
and Coordination of the NPA is the
responsibility of the NCCS with
support from relevant stakeholders.
The implementing arm of the NCCS are
the County, Sub-County and Ward
Area Advisory Councils.
Composition of the NCCS and the
County, Sub-County and Ward levels
includes:- Relevant line Ministries, Department
and Agencies
- Non-Governmental Organizations
- Faith Based Organizations
- Business Community.
Functions of the AAC’s are:
-
To supervise and regulate planning,
financing and coordination of children
welfare programmes in the County
Sub County and ward levels.
-
Mobilize resources and facilitate
funding for identified programmes.
-
Advocacy, promote and create
public awareness on children
programmes.
-
Facilitate Partnership and
networking among stakeholders.
-
Facilitate capacity building of all
stakeholders and service
providers.
- Facilitate strengthening of data
collection and creation of data
banks.
- Monitor, evaluate and report on
the implementation of Child
Rights and Welfare activities.
All the above functions will ensure that
PSS is well implemented. The AACs will
therefore supervise, plan, finance and
coordinate the provision of PSS at the
various level.
Resources will also be mobilized through
seeking funds from County Governments
during the budgeting process.
Advocacy, promotion and creation
of public awareness on PSS will be
prioritized. Public awareness at all
levels will be carried out together
with the Ministry of Interior and
Coordination where the
communities are sensitized on
various child issues during barazas.
Dissemination of the NPA will also
be done together with any other
material that mainstream PSS such
as the Good Practice in Child Care:
A Manual for Children Caregivers
that have been developed by NCCS
Partnerships with organization that
offer PSS services will be important
for referral services. Capacity
building will be done to members
of the AAC’s on PSS Children
Officers and those working with
and for children.
There will be sex disaggregated data
collection on those trained on PSS and
the Number of Children who have
been provided with PSS.
To Monitor, evaluate and report on PSS
information will flow from the Ward
AAC, Sub County AAC upto the CAAC
which will forward the same to the
NCCS.
The NCCS work in four thematic
areas one of them being Policy and
Legal Issues Development. The
NCCS will strive to develop policies
that mainstream PSS focusing on
love, care and protection for
implementation.
RESULTS
Results of implementation of the Plan will
strengthen the ability of families and
communities to provide love, care and
protection for infants and young children.
The indicators will include:-
- Increase in the number of Children
accessing PSS.
-
-
Increase in the number of
Human
Resource working
with and for children that
have been trained on PSS.
Increased budgetary allocation
for PSS programmes.
Increase in the Number of PSS
programmes.
-
Increase on the number of PSS
sensitization and forums.
-
Increase in the number of families
and communities accessing PSS
-
Increase in the number of policies
that mainstream PSS.
CONCLUSION
One’s childhood plays a vital and
active role in a persons development.
According to (Erikson 1959) successful
completion of each stage results in a
healthy personality and the acquisition
of basic virtues.
Therefore by Kenya mainstreaming
PSS in its policies and programmes
for infants and young children will
produce quality lives and the
nation will have higher chances of
have social order in realization of
Vision 2030.
“It is easier to
build strong
children than to
repair broken
men”
Frederick Douglass