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State Child Protection Society, West Bengal

Directorate of Child Rights and Trafficking

Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare

Government of West Bengal
District Child Protection Units (DCPU)

In order to ensure effective service delivery ICPS will be implemented by setting up State Child Protection Society (SCPS) and District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) as the fundamental units for implementation at State and District level respectively. State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) shall function as a unit under the SCPS. The SCPS will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and function under the overall supervision and control of the department looking after child welfare/protection in the State/UT.

ICPS envisages setting up a District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in each district as a fundamental unit for the implementation of the scheme.

Functions of District Child Protection Unit (DCPU)

The DCPU shall coordinate and implement all child rights and protection activities at district level. Specific functions of the DCPU shall be to:

  1. Contribute to effective implementation of child protection legislations, schemes and achievement of child protection goals laid out in the National Plan of Action for Children. In doing so, the DCPU will follow national and state priorities, rules and guidelines.
  2. Ensure that for each child in need of care there is an individual care plan and that the plan is regularly reviewed. Monitor the implementation of the plan.
  3. Identify families at risk and children in need of care and protection through effective networking and linkages with the ICDS functionaries, Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAA), NGOs dealing with child protection issues and local bodies, viz. PRIs and Urban Local Bodies, etc.;
  4. Assess the number of children in difficult circumstances and create districtspecific databases to monitor trends and patterns of children in difficult circumstances;
  5. Map all child related service providers and services at district for creating a resource directory;
  6. Identify and support credible voluntary organizations to implement program components of the ICPS;
  7. Support implementation of family based non-institutional services including sponsorship, foster care, adoption and after care;
  8. Ensure effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and its Amendment Act, 2006 at district/city levels by supporting creation of adequate infrastructure, viz. setting up JJBs, CWCs, SJPUs in each districts and homes in a cluster of districts as required; (ix) Ensure setting up of District, Block and Village level Child Protection Committees for effective implementation of programs, as well as discharge of its functions;
  9. Facilitate transfer of children at all levels for either restoration to their families or placing the child in long or short-term rehabilitation through sponsorship, kinship care, in country adoption, foster care, inter-country adoption and placement in institutions;
  10. Facilitate effective implementation of other legislations for child protection in the district, viz. Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (HAMA) 1956; Guardians and Wards Act (GAWA) 1890; Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986; Child Marriage and Restraint Act 1979 and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act 1986, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act 1994, Protection of children from Sexual Offence Act,2012, CPCRC Act,2005 etc. and any other Act that comes into force for protecting child rights;
  11. Network and coordinate with all government departments to build inter-sectoral linkages on child protection issues, including Departments of Health, Education, Social Welfare, Urban Basic Services, Backward Classes & Minorities, Youth Services, Police, Judiciary, Labour, State AIDS Control Society, among others;
  12. Network and coordinate with voluntary and civil society organizations working in the field of child rights and protection;
  13. Develop parameters and tools for effective monitoring and supervision of ICPS in the district;
  14. Supervise and monitor all institutions/agencies providing residential facilities to children in district;
  15. Train and build capacity of all personnel (Government and Non-government) working under child protection system to provide effective services to children;
  16. Encourage voluntary youth participation in child protection programs at district, block and community levels;
  17. Organize quarterly meeting with all stakeholders at district level including Childline Services, SAA, superintendents of homes, NGOs and members of public to review the progress and achievement of child protection activities;
  18. Liaison with the SCPS, SARA and DCPUs of other districts;
  19. Provide secretarial support to the DCPC;
  20. Maintain a database of all children in institutional care and non-institutional care at the district level. This Data Management System will ultimately be uploaded onto a comprehensive, integrated, live database for children in care and in need of care in the country- the ‘TrackChild’.
Note
  1. Counsellor at the DCPU will be responsible for supervising counsellors in the institutions and also for providing counselling support to children and families coming in contact with the DCPU.
  2. All staff members shall be engaged on contractual basis.
  3. The scheme also allows flexibility for staff on the basis of the geographical spread and population of the State, with the approval of PAB.

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