CHENNAI: Social welfare and women empowerment department has formed a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary to oversee the construction, utilisation and functioning of the building of ‘Place of Safety’ in Athur in Chengalpattu district. The facility, to be built on 3,451 sq.m at approximately Rs 16 crore, will be able to house 100 children in conflict with law.
Apart from the chief secretary, the chairperson, the committee will have additional chief secretaries of labour welfare, home, finance, and social welfare departments. Principal secretaries of public works, school education, family welfare and special programme implementation departments; the director of social defence; and the director of the Institute of Mental Health will also be part of it. The committee will review and monitor the functioning of the facility.
The construction of the new facility has begun and will be completed within two years, said officials from the social defence department that oversees the project.A district-level committee headed by Chengalpattu collector has also been formed to oversee the facility’s functioning. This five-member committee will have the principal magistrate of the juvenile justice board; the district child protection officer, Chengalpattu; and the executive engineer of the public work department as members.
It will ensure that the facility is registered as per the procedure laid down under section 41 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, for registration of childcare institutions. It will also ensure that the facility provides all required services for rehabilitating the child/young adult. The committee will also approve staff appointments as per the rules of Mission Vatsalya while TN government will sanction additional staff if required, according to a government order. Mission Vatsalya is a centrally-sponsored scheme that aims to promote family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances.
Currently, there is only one Place of Safety, functioning in the Vellore district, with a capacity to accommodate 40 children. This apart, there are nine observation homes, two special homes and three aftercare homes, which can together house over 300 juveniles, across TN.