Kerala has achieved tangible results in not only deinstitutionalisation of children and expansion of family-based care opportunities such as foster care but also in prevention of family separation, Soledad Herrero, chief of Child Protection, UNICEF India, has said.
She was talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a two-day national workshop on ‘Deinstitutionalisation and family-based alternative care’ here on Tuesday. The workshop was organised by Women and Child Development department with the support of UNICEF.
Ms. Herrero pointed out the State had formulated a five-year action plan for deinstitutionlisation and strengthening of family-based care. There were more than 200 children in foster care in the State. “It is a very positive number, with a steady increase. Kerala has also significantly reduced the number of children in institutions from 20,000 prior to the pandemic to 9,000 now.”
