Promoting the Rights of the Child

The Department renders service to make children and the adult community, aware of the rights of the child as per the intentioned convention monitoring on the Rights of the Child. A committee has been established in every Divisional Secretariat Division to monitor and co-ordinate the implementation of the convention of the Rights of the Child. A Child Rights Promoting Officer too has been attached to every Divisional Secretariat for this purpose. Any person can report any incident of violation of the rights of the child to this officer.

The national centre for children Training and counselling services.

This institution was established specially for the purpose of social re-integration of children by protecting their rights after they have been given requisite counselling and vocational training. Since they have been suffering from mental affliction and disorder consequent to various forms of abuse and other social reasons, they have been subject to. This centre reserved only for girl children for a period of 06 months only 20 children could be accommodated at a time. The Department makes necessary arrangements to admit children to this centre on the recommendation of the Child Rights Protecting Officers and the Probation Officer’s concerned. The Provincial Department of Probation and Child Care Service S.N.C.P is making necessary arrangements to establish such a centre at Anuradhapura while the Provincial Department in the Southern Province is also taking steps to establish such a centre in Galle as well.

The Sponsorship Programme

This scheme is implemented to retain the children in the family environment by keeping them with their mother or father or the legal guardians by providing financial assistance. Such children are choosen from among either those in Children’s Homes or those for whom applications have made for admission to Children’s Homes. A monthly payment of assistance Of Rs:200/- is given to each child, this amount is paid out of funds from donations by philanthropists and the state, up to the completion of 18 years of age. This scheme is directly implemented by the Head Office.

The Sevana Sarana Foster Parents Scheme.

Under this scheme school going children between 6-13 years of ages in poor families are given financial assistance. A minimum amount of Rs. 500/- per month for a period of 3 - 5 y ears is given to each child by a Pass Book in the National Savings Bank. About 1800 children are now being provided with benefits under this scheme. This financial assistance is provided from funds given by philanthropists. The Head Office is directly responsible for the implementation of this scheme.

Community Based Rehabilitation Services

Probation Service: Children and adults in conflict the law
Probation Service is the rehabilitation of those in conflict with law, by keeping them in the environment in which they live, instead of imposing imprisonment or other punishments. This community based rehabilitation service is of much benefits both to the convicts personally and to the county in general, socially as well as economically. If a person is imprisoned, it will affect him/her personally, his/her family and the county in general, both socially and economically.

Entrusting a convict to fit person.

It is possible to place children convicted by court orders for being in conflict with the law, under a fit person for supervision.

Assistance for Twins

Financial Assistance is given to children of low income families The Head Office of the Department directly group such assistance. The families can obtain assistance within 03 of birth of children. A sum of Rs. 5000/- for Twins and Rs. 10000/- for triplets is paid under this scheme. It is paid only after considering the recommendations and reports submitted by the Child Rights Promoting Officers attached to Divisional Secretariats concerned.

Medical Assistance

Children severely sick, in low income families, are given medical assistance. For this, a certificate about the ailment and the approval from a recognized physician is necessary A maximum sum of Rs. 5000/- for a child is paid after taking into consideration the report made by the Child Rights Promoting Officers.

Assistance for unforeseen disasters

In case of low income families affected by unforeseen disasters.
Children of such families are given financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 15,000/-(Maximum). This is given only once.

Adoption of children
The orphaned and abandoned children referred to the Department are allocated to applicants for a adoption of children. Only children not accepted by local applicants are given for foreign applicants. As far as adoption of children is concerned, only an adoption order given by a District Court is valid in Sri Lanka.
The local provisions of the Adoption of Children’s Ordinance No: 24th of 1941 and the amendment made thereto by the Adoption of Children’s Ordinance No: 15 of 1992, as well as rules and regulations as laid down by the “Hague” convention on foreign adoption of children are applicable to foreign adoption of Sri Lankan children.

Certified Schools
The certified schools coming under the purview of the Department , are located at Makola, Hikkaduwa, and Keppitipola. These 3 certified school are only for boy children, while the one at Rammuthugala is only for girl children. There is an Approved School at Maggona for Roman Catholic boy children; at is run by the Department. Only children between 12 to 18 years of age, are admitted to this school; it is also only by a court order.Based on individual’s talents and abilities, inmates there are given vocational training in various trades like Mechanical work, masonry, Electricity, Balacksmithy, welding, carpentry,weaving etc.The process of re-integration and socialization is also carried out by this institution.

National Training and Research Centre
This centre established on 11th October 2005, is the only national and research centre functioning under the Department of Probation and Child Care Services. The main objectives of this centre are to provide necessary training to Child Rights Promotion Officers, Probation Officers and other officers in other institutions under the Department of Probation and Child Care Services, and to complete a list of all government and non governmental organizations related to children’s rights and their development, as well as to establish a research library by collecting research work related to children.

After care centres.
If a child wishes to further improved the trade he was trained and also get some employment as a hosteller, those are after-care centres established for him. The Department provides necessary assistance to those centres as well.

Approved Schools
Children who need no training or rehabilitation in a certified school but their family environment is not conducive for rehabilitation, are sort to approved school suitable prorate houses and work places are utilized for this proposal. There are 04 approved schools in Sri Lanka.

Detention Homes
The detention homes are those places where children are detained until they are produced before courts or pending court decisions after they have been produced. The children detained in these Homes are well studied so that it would be easy to take a decision about the most suitable rehabilitation programme for each child. There are 3 much homes for boy’s namely Kitulampitiya (Galle) Pannipitiya and Anuradhapura. The one at Rammuthugala is for girls. In addition, there are Detection Homes established and run by voluntary organizations with assistance provided by the Department.

What are the services rendered for the orphaned abandoned destitute and abused children.
These are Children’s Homes established and run by voluntary organizations with due advice and assistance and help of the Department with a view to provide protection and care for the orphaned, abandoned, destitute and abused children A payment of financial assistance on monthlly basis, is paid for each child by the Department. To get this payment, he/she should be below 18 years of age. There are 253 such Homes throughout the Island, registered under the Department. There are facilities for these children to receive normal education as well. The best way for the growth of a child is to be with the his/her parents. Only children orphaned due to death of both parents or those abandoned by parents or those Distitute consequent to deprivation of basic needs, are institutionalised, For further details, please contact the Department of Probation and Child Care Services or the nearest Divisional Secretariat.

State receiving Homes
There are few Children’s Homes, established and administrated by the Department to receive and provide protection for Children who have been deprived of living at home temporarily or permanently. Such Homes are located at Panadura, Galle, Bandarawela, Jaffna, Kandy, Pannipitiya, Migalawa(Kurunegala) and Kuruwita (Rathnapura). Children, abandoned in Hospitals or by the sides of roads and children of parents who are subject to various disasters are also admitted to these Homes. Every endeavour is made to locate their parents and hand over them to their parents. If it is found not possible to such childrens are admitted to Children’s Homes when they become adults, they are integrand with the society.

Vocational training centres
Vocational training centres have been established to give vocational training required for inmates of Children’s Homes who are over school going age. In such centres, they are given due training in Agricultural and technical fluids. Such centres are run by voluntary organizations with assistance provided by the Department.

Nutrition Centres
There are Nutrition centres run by voluntary organizations.Children undernourished in state Receiving Homes and Voluntary Children’s Homes, are given necessary trendiest.

Day care centres
The day care centres established and run by voluntary organizations, under the surveillance of the Department, are meant to look after children of working mothers during the day time. Such centres are spread throughout the country, providing necessary protection for such children. By these centres, parents are also educated as how to bring up their children to promote steady and healthy growth, both physically and mentally.

Centre for vagrant children
A centre for rehabilitating vagrant children who loiter about without a place of permanent residence, has been opened at Halpatota, close to Hikkaduwa. The centre undertakes to train them for work and give some education. This intuition is known as “ Lama Sevan”