Monitoring Team inspects children shelter homes

As part of a drive to ensure proper functioning of children shelter homes, a monitoring team on Tuesday inspected four such facilities in the district.

As part of a drive to ensure proper functioning of children shelter homes, a monitoring team on Tuesday inspected four such facilities in the district.

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The team was formed by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) after it issued fresh guidelines to children shelters and asked them to maintain separate registers containing more details of their inmates.

The chief judicial magistrate-cum-secretary of DLSA, Narender Kaur, said the monitoring team will check whether all shelter homes follow the criteria laid down in the Children Welfare Act. If any shelter is found violating any rule, appropriate action will be taken.

Kaur said that there should be separate registers showing details of supervision, logbook, order book, and movement of children. Shelter homes should have complete information about each inmate and it will be checked whenever an inspection is carried out.

"It is mandatory for the children shelter homes to keep all the records, including information about inmates' native place and occupation of their parents," she added.

Shelter homes are required to take clearance from the District Child Welfare Committee before they start functioning and inmates should be registered with the committee.

The inspection team would also interact with inmates separately to find out if they have any problem.

The inspection team would also interact with inmates separately to find out if they have any problem. The team members will also talk to the people living near a shelter home to ascertain whether they have noticed any discrepancy or malpractice at the facility.

Last month, the DLSA team inspected seven shelter homes.