Management of Support Services, Institutions and Programmes for Children, Youth and Elderly

Written and reviewed by Anjali Sharma, Biology & Home Science faculty at UniDrill (M.Sc. Botany, Banaras Hindu University · 8 years teaching). Based on NCERT Home Science Class XII (Human Ecology and Family Sciences Part I), Chapter 7.

What happens when a family cannot meet every need?

Think of two people. Asha is eight and lives on a railway platform with no one to feed or protect her. Mr Rao is 72, and his children have moved to another city for work. Their situations are different, but both need someone beyond the family to step in. This chapter is about those someones: the institutions, programmes and support services that society builds for children, youth and the elderly, and the people who manage them. It is also a career chapter, so it ends with the skills and courses you would need.

Why families need help

The family is the basic unit of society, and one of its chief functions is to look after the needs of its members, such as parents, children of different ages and grandparents. But a family cannot always provide every specialised service. A young child needs formal education, and everyone needs health care. So every community creates structures like schools, hospitals, universities, recreation centres and training centres, which provide specialised or support services that family members can use.

Many families cannot meet even basic needs, or cannot reach and use these services, often for lack of resources, especially money. Some children, youth and elderly people are also separated from their families and have to cope alone. In such cases the government and society must step in, because it is their responsibility to ensure that all citizens have a decent life and that children and youth get opportunities for holistic development. The government sets up institutions and programmes, and also supports the efforts of the private sector and NGOs. Some programmes meet one specific need. Others take a holistic approach, because the philosophy is that all of an individual's needs should be met together for the best effect.

Who counts as vulnerable, and why

Vulnerable refers to persons or groups who are more likely to be affected by adverse circumstances, and on whom those circumstances have a more harmful impact. If any need of an individual goes unmet in daily life, that person becomes vulnerable.

All children are vulnerable, but some are more vulnerable than others: those living in such difficult circumstances that their basic needs for food, health, care and nurturance are not met, which stops them from developing their full potential.

Children in difficult circumstances: the juvenile justice framework

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 is described as the first legal framework for juvenile justice in India. It is in line with the Child Rights Convention and takes a child-friendly approach in handling matters, always in the best interest of the child and aiming at the child's rehabilitation. It deals with two categories of children.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: the 2000 Act is the framework the chapter describes, with its two categories. In reality: it was later replaced by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which keeps the same two broad ideas of children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection. Why it matters: if you meet "2015" in a newspaper or a later chapter, it is the updated version of the same framework.

Programmes and institutions for children

What ICDS offers. Health, nutrition and hygiene education to mothers; non-formal preschool education to children aged three to six; supplementary feeding for all children below six and diet for pregnant and nursing mothers; growth monitoring; and basic health care such as immunisation and vitamin A supplements. All of this is delivered together at the anganwadi.

How an SOS village works. Each SOS home has a "mother" who looks after 10 to 15 children. The unit lives like a family, so children experience relationships and love again, which helps them recover from traumatic experiences. The children grow up in a stable family environment and are supported individually until they become independent young adults. The SOS families live together as a supportive "village" and are integrated with the local community. After disasters such as the Bhopal gas accident of 1984, cyclones, earthquakes and the tsunami, SOS Children's Villages gave emergency relief that was converted into permanent facilities, mostly SOS Children's Villages.

Three kinds of Government Children's Homes. The easiest way to remember them is by "what stage the child is at".

Pause and predict: a 14 year old is arrested for theft. The police need time to find his parents and learn about his family. Where is he kept in the meantime, and where would he go if the court finds him guilty?

Check your answer: during the investigation he stays in an Observation Home, which is temporary. If he is found guilty of violating the law, he is placed in a Special Home for custodial care. His age and his arrest put him in the category "in conflict with law".

Adoption. India has a long tradition of adoption. Earlier it was limited to within the family and was covered by social and religious practices. With changing times, adoption beyond the family has been institutionalised and legalised.

Youth: who they are and what they face

The National Youth Policy, 2014 defined youth as persons aged 15 to 29 years. Those between 13 and 19 are called adolescents. Keep the two bands separate. A country's progress depends on how well its youth are encouraged as a positive force.

Why youth are vulnerable. Young people deal with biological changes that affect well-being and identity, and prepare for adult roles. Peer pressure and the pressure to excel in a competitive world can cause stress. When family or environment gives no positive support, some adolescents turn to alcohol and drugs, termed substance abuse. Health is another major concern, especially risks related to sexual and reproductive health, and many young people lack the knowledge and power to make informed choices.

Some youth groups are especially vulnerable: rural and tribal youth, out of school youth, adolescents (particularly female adolescents), youth with disabilities, and youth in specially difficult circumstances such as victims of trafficking, orphans and street children.

Youth programmes in India

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports adopted the National Youth Policy in 2003. The programmes below show who each one serves.

Why NSS and NYK differ. NSS reaches students while they are in college. The National Service Volunteer Scheme reaches graduates for one or two years of whole time work. Nehru Yuva Kendras reach rural youth who are not students. Matching programme to target group is a favourite match-the-column.

The elderly: facts, challenges and a balanced picture

In many countries a senior citizen is aged 65 and above, but in India senior citizens are persons aged 60 and above. The older population has risen steadily as life expectancy has grown: approximately 29 years in 1947, rising to 69.3 years for females and 65.8 years for males in 2009 to 2013. India has the second largest number of senior citizens in the world, after China.

Why the elderly are vulnerable. There are three reasons, and it helps to think of them as body, home and money.

A balanced view. Old age is not only problems. Many older people live fulfilling lives, and in many families they are well respected. Most people of 60 or more are economically active, presumably because they work in sectors with no fixed retirement age. The goal is to treat the elderly as a human resource whose experience can be put to use. The government adopted the National Policy for Older Persons in 1999.

Programmes for the elderly. Government, NGOs, Panchayati Raj institutions and local bodies run these.

Pause and predict: Kamala, 70, lives alone in a village. She has no income and her relatives cannot support her. Which scheme in this chapter fits her, and what must she show?

Check your answer: the National Old Age Pension Scheme. She is above 65 and destitute, and she must provide proof of age and proof of her destitute status.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: NOAPS applies to destitute persons above 65 years, and the National Policy for Older Persons was adopted in 1999. In reality: the central scheme is now called the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, and eligibility begins at 60 years. A separate law, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, makes children and relatives legally responsible for maintaining senior citizens. Why it matters: it shows that support for the elderly sits both in welfare schemes and in law, and that the age limits you learn in the chapter are not frozen.

Preparing for a career in managing institutions and programmes

You may work as the in-charge or manager of activities in an existing programme, or set up your own organisation for children, youth or the elderly. Either way you need the abilities of a planner, manager and evaluator, perhaps an entrepreneur, and a strong knowledge of the needs, characteristics and modes of caregiving for your target group.

Starting your own organisation. An enterprising person needs to decide on location, whom it should serve, the services or combination of services, finances, recruitment of staff with different skills, registration formalities, implementation, and improvement through periodic evaluation and feedback. A person with a vision is deeply committed and passionate about the cause.

Pause and predict: a new centre for senior citizens is planned by a group that never consulted the older people of the neighbourhood. Which of the chapter's "pillars" has been ignored, and what is the likely result?

Check your answer: participatory planning and community ownership. A programme succeeds when the people it is meant for feel involved from the start, so one planned without them is likely to be underused.

The learning route. Start by building a knowledge base about children, youth and the elderly. An undergraduate degree in Home Science (also called Family and Community Sciences), Social Work or other social sciences is suitable, and you can go for further study. Open and distance learning is another route. IGNOU offers a Certificate Programme in NGO Management and a Diploma in Youth Development Work, and State Open Universities offer programmes by distance mode.

Career avenues. You can set up your own institution for services to any target group, be a manager in an established institution or programme, be a functionary at any level or cadre, or be a researcher who consults, assesses or evaluates existing programmes and institutions.

Practicals, in short

A role play on a large joint family (5 to 6 students, a 15 minute play) lets you show every age group's needs and the place of the elderly. A booklet of four line poems on the environment, birds and animals promotes children's language development, using cards of 4 by 6 inches tied with string.

Exam traps

60-second revision

Where this chapter connects

• Previous chapter: Early Childhood Care and Education introduces anganwadis and ICDS as the government's preschool channel, which this chapter describes in full.
• Same theme: Public Nutrition and Health shows how nutrition programmes reach mothers and children.
• Class XI base: Understanding the Self explains adolescence and identity, which is why youth are described as vulnerable.
• Careers: Work, Livelihood and Career covers entrepreneurship and the life skills this career asks for.