Financial support to relatives under Kerala government's kinship foster-care programme

The Kerala government has decided to give a fixed amount every month to the relatives of the children, residing in childcare institutions, towards latter's expenses under the kinship foster-care programme. According to a press release, the money would be credited to a joint account of the child and the foster care person. The welfare and well-being of the child would be checked and ensured once in every three months.

Thiruvananthapuram: Back in 2019, when Kerala government launched the kinship foster-care programme to entrust the responsibility of care and protection of the children, residing in childcare institutions (CCIs), to their willing relatives-then no financial aid was provided to the latter to support the former by the administration.

To address the main concern of the relatives-additional financial burden, which stops many from taking the responsibility of raising the child, state government has recently decided to give a fixed amount every month towards the child’s basic expenses, to ease their burden.

The woman and child development department, which has come up with the idea, has been given the go-ahead by the government and Rs 84 lakh has been provided to implement the scheme in 14 districts.

All the 25, 482 children in the 817 child care institutes registered as per the Child welfare law, will be covered under this programme.

The development came after it came into notice that there are many children who have been left for foster care at CCIs and most of them wish to live with their families, but they are unable to do so owing to overwhelming financial difficulties.

Twenty-five children will be benefited through the programme in each district, during the trial phase. If it is successful, the programme will be expanded to cover more children, according to a press release from the Women and Child Welfare department, here on Thursday.

As per reports, the list of children will be prepared by Child Welfare Committee. After receiving application from the willing relatives of these children at respective District Child Welfare units, the custody will be given only after considering the child’s interest and thoroughly checking the applicants’ background.

Based on the orders and directions from the district Sponsorship Foster Care Adoption and Child Welfare Committee, the monthly amount would be decided by the Sponsorship Post Approval Committee.

According to the release, the money would be credited to a joint account of the child and the foster care person. The welfare and well-being of the child would be checked and ensured once in every three months.