The State government has sanctioned ₹84 lakh for implementing the kinship foster care programme in the State.
Under kinship foster care, children putting up in homes registered under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act will be entrusted to relatives with government aid for fostering.
There are 25,484 children in 817 registered child care homes. Minister for Women and Child Development K.K. Shylaja, in a statement, said most of the children in the homes wanted to live with their relatives. However, severe financial constraints prevented many from taking up their care. The kinship foster care programme had been drawn up under the Sanatha Balyam project to address this issue. A monthly payment would ensure the development of children in a familial setting and reduce institutionalisation.
Individual foster care, group foster care, vacation foster care, kinship foster care, and respite foster care are offered under Sanatha Balyam.
