The Odisha government has decided to extend the benefits of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to 0-6 age-group children staying inside the jail with his or her parents, in a revised set of guidelines issued for the welfare of children of incarcerated parents.

Period of incarceration of parents, whose children are staying outside and is intended to avail the benefit under the Scheme, should not be less than 60 days. The benefits under ICDS programmes will be extended to children residing in the prison between the age group of O to 6 years, the Department of Women and Child Development stated in a notification.

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The revised guidelines, framed by the department, emphasize at bolstering the existing child protection mechanisms and introducing provisions to ensure that such children are protected under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Vulnerabilities that surround children in difficult circumstances call for a specialized set of plans and interventions to ensure that their rights are protected, the notification said.

Children of incarcerated parents or primary caregivers are most likely to suffer adverse effects on their socio-emotional development. These children can be broadly divided into the category of children· living in the prison with parents and children living ‘outside’ when the parents are incarcerated, it said.

Collectors will identify nodal Anganwadi Centre (AWC) for each prison which is nearest to it for extension of these facilities. However, in case more children are housed in any prison, temporary AWC as per jail manual will be set up. A worker from an existing AWC in the neighborhood with lesser children will be considered for attending to the temporary AWC.

Children in jails shall be provided with supplementary nutrition and immunization facilities as provisioned under ICDS.

Children attaining the age of 6 years may be placed with guardian/ remaining parents with the consent of the mother. Otherwise, the child may be produced before the nearest Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for rehabilitation.

The concerned District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) will facilitate appropriate counselling for children and parents inside the jail.

The district/circle Jail Administration will provide quarterly information like no. of children, gender, age etc to the concerned DSWO to avail benefits under ICDS.

The jail administration will ensure the provision of psycho social and mental health services to the mother and children in coordination with the concerned Chief District Medical Officer and DCPU.

 Optimum focus shall be given on ensuring the children’s accessibility to their rights and development in a family based non-institutional care arrangements like kith & kin with similar socio-cultural environment, wherever feasible and in the best interest of the child, the notification stressed.