Strengthening child protection systems and policies

Collaborating with the Indian Railways and other key players in child protection 

Building partnerships for child protection – we are taking everyone along – policy makers, government officials, civil society, and like-minded organizations to find and implement ways to discuss, deliberate, strengthen and better resource child protection systems so that no child is left behind.

Over the years, our partnership net has extended into a countrywide rescue and reunification web for children, with a key partnership at the helm of this feat – developing the Railways’ Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and Guidebook in context to child rights and protection in collaboration with the Indian Railways, delivering child-friendly stations across India. We also work closely with the Railways to train and build the capacity of their staff who are actively contributing to a protective ecosystem for children.

Our work also extends to collaborating with peers in the sector, actively participating in child rights cohorts and collectives and influencing policy at the state and national level/ putting child protection at the top of government agendas.

Building capacities and new perspectives on child rights 

We work with child protection systems at the district level giving them the tools they need to protect children, filling gaps in service provision.  We upskill District Child Protection Units on personalised childcare planning, case management, roles and responsibilities, the restoration and family reintegration process and child safeguarding to better meet the needs of children living on the streets and in vulnerable communities. 

To reach every child everywhere, we coordinate and co-deliver services with local government agencies and bodies to strengthen their skills and capacity to provide effective child protection. .

Through capacity building workshops at numerous railway training institutes (divisional and station level), today, we boast of a community of more than 46,000 child protection champions across in India, who are equipped with skills and knowledge to identify and protect children, actively using services and mechanisms available to them to protect children. 

Developing effective safeguarding solutions 

To galvanise national action on child safeguarding, we develop and evidence effective safeguarding solutions that can be replicated and adopted on a system-wide level, advocating for improved policy and provision of children’s services at a national and international level.

Evidence building across the Delhi-Howrah network

In our goal to scale the impact of our work and protect lakhs of children in a sustainable manner, backed by evidence, collective knowledge and experience working with the railway network, we were directed towards the Delhi-Howrah transport network. 

Spanning 400 railway stations, 64 major junctions and cutting across 5 major states in India we uncovered an acute problem across this transport network, a major source, transit, and destination for unsafe migration of children, lacking a coordinated effort between key stakeholders and systems, putting 20,000 children at a risk of taking to a life on the streets. 

Our multi-stakeholder convergence model brings together these systems, mechanisms and key stakeholders to ensure a safety net for every child who traverses through this network.