Speaker bio: Dr Josephine Anthony is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Equity and Justice for Children and Families, School of Social Work, TISS. She is also the Chairperson of the Centre. Before joining TISS, Dr Anthony spent about ten years as a social work practitioner and child sector researcher, as well as three years as an autism therapist in the USA. She earned her doctorate at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras with a thesis on the digital divide and equity in school education. Her field of practice and research includes vulnerable and marginalized children, technology, and society, with a focus on adolescents. Currently, she is leading 2 field action projects, ROOTS and Rekkalu, which aim to provide psychosocial intervention to children in government childcare institutions in the Telangana state of India. 

Title: Child-centric Multi-stakeholders’ Approach to Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Children in the Child Care Institutions: Integrating perspective and practice

Abstract: Children in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) are the most vulnerable population. Their childhoods are marred by deprivation, neglect, abuse, exploitation, conflict, and an absence of nurturing environments. These children, who are in need of care and protection, are governed by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015. This legislation adopts a child-friendly and rehabilitation-centred approach that emphasises institutionalisation as a last resort. Led by the underlying principles and objectives of this Act, several field models and good practices are emerging towards strengthening the Juvenile Justice System. Following a needs assessment study into CCIs, the ROOTS project started in 2018, and Rekkalu (Wings, in Telugu) in 2021, to strengthen comprehensive rehabilitation measures. This presentation focuses on the TISS demonstrative model of psychosocial rehabilitation intervention 'ROOTS-Rekkalu' with State-run CCIs. 

The integrated initiative engages at different levels by adopting a child-centric approach, while interacting simultaneously with stakeholders throughout the child's ecosystem. The key agents in this process are the psychosocial team, consisting of a social worker and a counsellor, who work towards child's rehabilitation and overall improvement in the quality of life of children in CCIs through different interventions. The engagement is at three levels: 1) at the child level– counselling and therapeutic guidance (individual and group), sexuality education, family tracing and restoration, and family conferencing; 2) at the CCI level– involving staff capacity building, introducing effective case documentation, building social architecture of Homes; and 3) at the System level– engaging with critical stakeholders, such as the Juvenile Justice Board, Child Welfare Committee, District Children Protection Unit, and the Department of Juvenile Welfare and Correctional Services, through regular case discussions, recommendation sharing, intervention demonstrations, and production of educational materials through workshops, conferences, and policy briefs. 

The impact of these comprehensive interventions is reflected in government and stakeholder recognition, participation, ownership, and replication of the ROOTS-‘Rekkalu' model, due to participatory and collaborative stakeholder engagement regarding rehabilitation plans. The model has changed the CCI space, where a culture of nurturance and inclusion has been cultivated with a rehabilitation-oriented approach. The project has succeeded in building transformational leadership to create long-term, sustainable change by using a child-centred approach and bringing together stakeholders to build comprehensive rehabilitation measures for children in CCIs.

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