Child-Centred Social Work in India: Journeys and the Way Forward

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of contributors
Preface
Part 1: Career journeys and reflections on child-centred social work
	Chapter 1: Career journey and reflections on child-centred social work
		My student years at TISS
		Beginning my professional career with child-centred social work practice
		Doctoral studies on children with disability and their family
		My long innings at TISS in child-centred social work
		Teaching and training in child-centred social work
		Fieldwork supervision and field action
		Efforts at training frontline workers in child rights
		The SAARTHI manual for training of frontline workers from child development agencies
		An online master’s degree programme in child rights
		Practitioner’s manual on family-based alternative care
		Collaborative research on adolescents
		Impact assessment of alternative child care programmes in India
		The India Alternate Care Network
		My work with children with disabilities
		Emerging reflections on CSW
		Miles to go…
	Chapter 2: Protecting child rights through family-based services
		Introduction
		Promotion and coordination of Indian adoption
			The scenario of adoption in the state of Maharashtra
			Awareness generation in civil society
			Coordinating with adoption placement agencies
			Challenges faced
			Impact and achievements
			Counselling for unwed mothers
		Gatekeeping in collaboration with the Juvenile welfare board
			Reasons for seeking admission to a CCI
			Work with families
			Challenges
			Gaps observed
		Rehabilitation of children affected by earthquake
			Salient features of work for orphaned children
			Work with children for development
			Work with single mothers
			Challenges
			Unique features of the project
			Impact and achievements
			Our learnings
		Bal Sangopan Yojana and child-centred strengthening of families in crisis
			Reaching out to families in crisis
			Work with families
			Child-centred family strengthening
			Impact
			Learning
			Challenges
			Way forward
		Curriculum needed for CSW specialisation
		Research needed in CSW
		Reflections
	Chapter 3: An academician’s journey and reflections on child-centred social work
		Preparation for child-centred social work as a career
		Approach to work and career milestones
			Employment and work approach at Tata Institute of Social Sciences
			Work at unit for family studies with reference to child-centred social work
			Other positions
		Comprehensive work on life enrichment programmes
			Initiatives by educational institutions for girls
			Use in a range of settings
			Methodology of training
			Life enrichment modules
		Consultations with the United Nations on child rights issues, policies, and programmes
			Consultancies for the UNICEF India country programme
			Resource person for UNICEF Maharashtra
			Consultation for UNICEF Tamil Nadu
			Presentation on evidence-based child protection at a United Nations Seminar
			Course writing on child protection in emergencies for child protection working group
		Comprehensive projects on child-centred social work in the field
			Training programme on child rights-based development work with butterflies
			Mainstreaming child rights in Goa with children’s rights in Goa
			Background paper on directions for child protection in the Eleventh Five Year Plan
			Comparative study of child protection measures in Goa and Singapore
		Conceptualisation, curriculum planning, teaching, and publications on child-centred social work
			Clarification of concepts of problems in childhood
			Guest editing a special issue of social development issues on child protection
			Writing a book on rights-based preventative approach for psychosocial well-being in childhood
			Proposing and teaching a course on child-centred social work
			Training and publication of a sourcebook series on rights-based direct practice with children
			Element of child welfare, protection, and justice
		Reflections and vision for child-centred social work
			Self-growth and demonstrations
			Life skills as foundation for child-centred social work
			Components of the child-centred social work approach
			Curriculum development and training for child-centred social work
			Knowledge development, dissemination and retrieval in child-centred social work
		Conclusion
	Chapter 4: Lighted to lighten: A journey in child-centred social work
		Making child-centred social work a career
		Retaining children in families and the community
			Impact of sponsorship
			Adoption the best option
		De-institutionalisation and strengthening residential care services
		Protecting and promoting children’s rights
		Building capacities
		Impacting change – taking child-centred social work forward
		Reposing faith in the state
		Strengthening the child-centred social work education
		On the systems strengthening front
		Critical review of my professional journey
	Chapter 5: Working with children on the margins: A trajectory of a social work practitioner
		Background
		Curiosity, the beginnings of interest in street-connected children
		Butterflies, its origins
		Education a gateway to exit from living on the margins of society
		Life skills education an essential part of academic studies
		Children and media
		Children’s cooperatives…. the beginning 1995
		Children and financial management and creation of capital
		Importance of alliances
			National NGO forum for street and working children and city fora
			Delhi child rights club
			National alliance of grassroots NGOs
			Family for every child
		Insightful learnings and experiences
			The first alternate report to UNCRC committee
			Experience of working in Andaman Nicobar Islands
			Working in partnership with Uttarakhand government
			Butterflies school of culinary and catering
			A continuum of care
		Social casework an integral part of development work
		Research: a continued exploration and study
		Reflections, reimagining child rights
	Chapter 6: Sharing my journey in child-centred social work
		Looking back… I had found my “Ikigai”!!
		Work world: the trajectory with family service centre
		Adoption: The most meaningful years in my career
		Association with non-government organisations and civil society organisations
		My academic journey…
		Back to further education
		Life-changing experiences… at the child welfare committee Mumbai
		Association with UNICEF on child protection issues and concerns
		Work with the government
		Interaction with the central adoption resource authority
		Major learnings in child-centred social work
		Reflections …
	Chapter 7: Child-centred social work to combat intergenerational commercial sexual exploitation
		Entry into social work
		The birth of Prerana
		My journey with Prerana
			Opening the jammed gates and reluctant hearts
			Writing and rewriting the policies
			To free or not to free the slaves- that was the crisis
			Yet another turning point
			Impacting the global policies
			Enriching instruments at the international level
			Cleansing the malpractices
			Evolving better workstyle and tools and mainstreaming them
			Yet another raid and rescue
			Using every available opportunity to further the cause
			Trying to evolve and mainstream some minimum standards
		Vision of child-centred social work
		Before signing off
	Chapter 8: Child-centred social work and restorative practices
		Journey in child-centred social work
		Contribution to curriculum development, teaching, and training on child-centred social work
			Addressing gaps in academia on child rights
				Seminar course on child rights
				Post-graduate diploma in child rights law by distance mode
				Clinical legal education in child law
				Postgraduate diploma on child rights
				Social work education and child law
				Teaching child rights
				Training for child-centred social work
				Contribution to CCL-NLSIU as a replicable research centre on child rights
				Formulation, reforms, and implementation of child-related policies and laws
				Juvenile law
				Law related to commissions for children and human rights institutions
				Contribution to monitoring and implementation of child-related laws
		Innovative child-centred social work practice
			Multidisciplinary approach, interdisciplinarity, and case conferences
			Strategic participatory action research approach
			Restorative practices
		Child rights at the international level
			India’s III universal periodic report (UPR) to the human rights council
			General comment No. 10 (2007) on children’s rights in juvenile justice
			Child safeguarding
		Research and publications for child-centred social work
		Emerging reflections on child-centred social work
			Challenges faced and lessons learnt
		Gaps identified and vision for strengthening child-centred social work as a specialised field
			Teaching
			Ivory tower teaching
			Outdated knowledge
			Child rights-based approach
			Holistic approach balancing developmental needs and rights
			Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary co-teaching
			Linkages between social work education institutions and the child protection system
			Research and child rights centres
			Publications
			Professional standards and monitoring systems
			Networking
		Conclusion
	Chapter 9: Integrating child-centred social work education and practice
		Introduction
		My entry into social work: how did it all begin?
			Volunteering for national service scheme
			MSW: A life-changing experience!
		Stepping into the world of work-the initial years
			My first job!
			From a state-managed home to NGO work – new learnings
		Joining the world of academics as social work educator
			Straddling two arenas – academics and field-based social work
			Upon becoming an academic: the first few years
			The long and transforming Ph.D. journey!
		Advocating child-centred social work: within and outside the university
			QIC&AC: First-of-its-kind network
			On the management side of things: core group member of an NGO
			Curriculum building: revamping courses and creating new ones
			Participatory training related to child rights, child protection, and the juvenile justice system
			Model standard operating procedure on missing children
		Strengthening the socio-legal approach: memorable years at the juvenile justice board
		Policy, legislation, and research: a few notables
		Emerging reflections on child-centred social work
		Conclusion
	Chapter 10: Journey in child-centred social work without borders
		Introduction
		Career journey milestones
		A cadre of child rights actors
		Responding to unforeseen disasters
		Piloting a system strengthening programme in India
		Missing children – a closure and tiger children
		Focal person globally for psychosocial support
		System strengthening: addressing violence against children and harmful practices
		Child protection in high-income countries
		Reflections
			What the career does to you
			A career for the future
			Child-centred social work
			Cost of violence and investing in social work
			Clinical versus the social
			Charity versus rights
			Systems versus community: formal systems versus the informal systems
			Psychosocial support versus mental health
			Downstream versus upstream
			Children on the move and social work
			Child-centred social work in high-income countries
		Conclusion
	Chapter 11: Research for strengthening child-centred social work
		An accident and an opportunity
		The doctoral journey
		Transitioning from mentee to mentor
		Mentorship beyond the school of social work
		Engagement with funded research
		Reflections
	Chapter 12: Social work on child rights: My journey, challenges, and vision
		My journey
		Challenges faced and lessons learned
			Questions posed by others during the course of my work
				Why do you not study Indian books on social work?
			You are speaking like a leftist!
				Real social work is required in the villages, why are you living in a metropolis?
				Children need to fear
				Why did we get them in this situation?
				You are not clear about what you want
				Making a policy is a practiced response of bureaucracy to public anger
				Why do you want to disturb the equilibrium?
			My own reflections
				Let a thousand flowers bloom
				Who has appointed us to speak on behalf of children?
				Let children participate
		Vision for strengthening CSW as a specialised field
			Need for child-centered social workers
			Interdisciplinarity
			Problem-solving
			Continuities and discontinuities
			Continuing education
			Capacity building
			Research Agenda and ethical requirements
			Policy advisories
			Curriculum planning
		Conclusion
	Chapter 13: A social worker’s quest for justice for children
		Education choices
		The passion of working with children
		A brief stint as a freelancer
		Contributions to teaching
		The journey of a resource cell for juvenile justice
		Help desk, the signature programme within RCJJ
		Achievements
			Strengthening the concept of a sociolegal cell
			Changes in the systems
		Advocacy work
			With the home department
			With the judiciary
		Contributions to research and publications
		Challenges in the work
			Asking tough questions
			Facing hostility
			Officials in the system
			De-moralised staff
			Finding funds
			Finding the right people for the work
		Reflections
		On a closing note
	Chapter 14: My passionate journey as a child-centred social worker
		Life-changing social work education
		Milestones in my journey as a child-centred social worker
		Course changing incidents
			Capacity building and child protection
			Capacity building with professional mindset
			A girl child's Trauma
			Bravery award and child protection
			Fact finding and learning
			Judiciary and juvenile justice
		My thoughts for strengthening CSW as a specialised field
		Conclusion
Part 2: Child-centred social work overview and way forward
	Chapter 15: Overview and way forward for child-centred social work practice
		Introduction
		Introduction to child-centred social work
			Nomenclature
			The child rights approach
			Linkages in problems in childhood
			Comprehensive child welfare services
			Social work interventions
		Child empowerment activities through schools
		Family strengthening and child support services
			Social work practice for children of families in crisis
				Strengthening families
				Child sponsorship
			Reunification of missing children
				Social work practice with children with disability
				Social work practice with children in street situations
				Social work practice with children in emergency situations
		Alternative care of children
			Non-institutional alternative care services for children
			Foster family
			Child adoption
			Deinstitutionalisation of children
			Quality institutional childcare
			Way forward for childcare reforms
		Social work practice with child victims of crimes and children in conflict with law
			Social work practice for child victims of violence
			Social work practice for children in conflict with law
			Social work practice for children associated with armed conflict
			Restorative justice for children
			Multidisciplinary case conferences for children
		Social work practice with the government systems for children
			Innovative contributions to social work practice with the government systems for children
			Way forward for social work practice with the government systems for children
				Child rights-based policies
				Requirements of policy for children
				Participatory approach
				Role of social work educators
		Human resource planning for child-centred social work practice
		Conclusions on child-centred social work practice
			Expansion of preventive service systems for children
			Promoting child rights in the justice systems for children
			Human resource planning for child-centred social workers
	Chapter 16: Overview and way forward for child-centred social work education
		Introduction to child-centred social work education
		Teaching and curriculum development for child-centred social work
			Contributions to teaching and curriculum development for child-centred social work
			Revamping of courses
				Introduction of new courses
				Introduction of online programmes and courses
				Use of fieldwork supervision
			Way forward for teaching and curriculum development for child-centred social work
				Comprehensive curriculum
				Child rights approach
				Life skills
				Micro to macro intervention skills
				Teaching-learning
				Other suggestions
		Conducting training programmes for child-centred social work
			Contribution to training programmes and developing training manuals on child-centred social work
				Comprehensive training programmes
				Training programmes on specific topics
			Way forward for conducting training programmes on child-centred social work
		Knowledge development, dissemination, retrieval, and utilisation for child-centred social work
			Contribution to knowledge development for child-centred social work
				Practice-based research
				Participatory action research
				Evidence-based research
				Cross-national studies
			Contributions to knowledge dissemination, retrieval, and utilisation for child-centred social work
				Policy advocacy
				Audio-visual media
				Publications
				Setting up centres for research on children
				Gaps in research
				Linkage between research, practice and teaching
				Research methodology
		Associations for child-centred social workers
		Conclusion on child-centred social work education
			Promoting child-centred social work education in institutions of social work education
			Regional research and training centres on child-centred social work
			A national associations for child-centred social workers
Index