In a first for an Indian University, Jamia Millia Islamia in will train foster care workers who will in turn train parents to take better care of abandoned children.
It is the role of a government agency to find a foster family for an orphaned or abandoned child, who can take of the child in future. For training such families, there is a provision for an outside agency, where Jamia initiative hopes to
fill the gap.
The National Resource Centre for Foster Care (NRCFC) recently set up in the university will be a unit which will work with the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to produce better- trained foster parents who can take care of orphaned and abandoned children.
Prof Zubair Meenai, Honorary Director, Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research (CECDR) says, "In India, it is very difficult to find a foster family, first of all, because it's a very emotional decision for any family to take care of a child who is not their own. In such a scenario, it is important that they are well-trained to take care of the children."
"Since we are already running an early childhood development centre in the university, it was logical to have a foster care centre like that. Our alumni from the UK give us ideas on the best practices followed abroad," he adds.
The centre will first start training Delhi and then go on to other parts of the country.
"With India being home to nearly 20 million such children and the numbers expected to increase in future, the country was confronted with an alarming humanitarian situation and it was at that time that steps were taken to address the problem at hand," said Prof Talat Ahmad, Jamia Vice Chancellor.
Prof Ahmad said that the university will provide space and other infrastructure required to run NRCFC.
The mandate of the NRCFC is to train people in foster care by organising workshops, seminars and round tables. The Centre will also run a certificate course on the subject.
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