WCD Ministry to formulate guidelines for children's hostels

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) will formulate guidelines for children's hostels, elaborately underlining the minimum standards of care that should be provided to them.

This decision was taken in the wake of the requests made by the parents who are unable to take care of their children and their education or due to other circumstances which force parents to keep their kid at children's homes, which is not registering under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi informed that the Ministry has directed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to draft the guidelines in the matter after consulting other concerned stakeholders and they are also planning to have these guidelines notified under the Juvenile Justice Act.

"Children staying at hostels, including those attached to schools, are as vulnerable as children at any other facility like child-care institutions (CCIs) and day-care centres. Therefore, we decided to formulate a set of guidelines to ensure adequate safety, a minimum standard of living conditions and periodic inspections at hostels," she said.

In order to ensure safety and well-being of children even at school hostels, the Ministry of Women and Child Development will also share the guideline with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) for dissemination among schools which provide boarding facility for children.

The Ministry has also notified all states and Union Territories to undertake inspection of all child-care institutions and related facilities and to ensure their registration.