Children In Street Situation(CISS): SC seeks steps for Children on Streets

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has directed the States and Union Territories(UTs) that have not yet framed their own policies to rehabilitate children in street situation(CISS) to immediately implement the Standard Operating Procedure for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situation 2.0

What is Standard Operating Procedure for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situation 2.0?

Prepared by: National Commission for Protection of Children’s Rights(NCPCR) in collaboration with Save the Children, a non-profit organization.

Aim: To strengthen the processes and interventions that work towards the welfare of children on the streets and their families.

Categories: The street children have been divided into three broad categories: 1) those who are living on the streets all alone and with no support, 2) those who spend most of their time on the streets but go home to a slum at night and 3) those whose entire families live on the streets.

Challenges Faced by Street Children: 1) Missing care and protection of responsible adults, 2) Forced to work to eat every day, 3) Work in risky occupations on the streets, 4) Poor health and illness due to poor living condition, 5) Exposure to drug and substance abuse, 6) Low level of access to medical care or education and 7) Lack of Identity to link with Social Security Schemes.

Key Guidelines: The core principle adopted in the procedure is looking at the child in the context of the family since family is the first resort for a child.

It also focuses on providing social protection to children with and without families

Further, it also talks about an individual care plan for street children and families strengthening with schemes.

Source:  This post is based on the article “SC seeks steps for Children on Streets” published in The Hindu on 26th April 2022.