The Odisha Women and Child Development Department directs district administrations to conduct mandatory safety audits of all child care institutions
OdishaPlus Bureau
Days after a sensitive case of an assault on a 16-year-old tribal girl at a government-funded shelter home in Kendrapada, Odisha Women and Child Development Department has directed all district administrations to conduct immediate inspections of every institution housing children across the state.
In an order issued by Dr Mrinalini Darswal, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, WCD Department, Collectors and District Magistrates have been asked to personally supervise the exercise and ensure strict enforcement of safety, staffing and registration norms.
The directive covers all homes, hostels, shelters, ashrams, orphanages and residential facilities housing children, irrespective of whether they are run by the government, NGOs, trusts, religious or charitable organisations. Both registered and unregistered facilities will be covered.
The department has made digital recording of inspections mandatory through the Awesome application, discontinuing paper-based inspection records. Inspections not entered into the application will not be considered valid.
District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) and Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) have been directed to be fully involved in the exercise. District administrations may also use available Mission Vatsalya administrative provisions for travel and contingency expenses where mobility is a constraint.
The order also calls for coordination with the Superintendent of Police and joint inspection teams wherever necessary, particularly in cases involving suspected unregistered institutions.
The department has directed institutions to ensure round-the-clock safety and security of children, with inspections covering entry and exit controls, night supervision, lighting and complaint and helpline mechanisms.
It has further asked institutions to replace male staff with female personnel to the maximum extent possible, and mandatorily in institutions housing girls, including security, watch-and-ward and outsourced staff.
Police verification has been made mandatory for all personnel, including contractual, part-time, kitchen, security and caregiving staff. Anyone against whom adverse information is found must be removed from contact with children immediately.
The order also stresses separate accommodation for male and female residents and prohibits children in conflict with law from being housed in institutions meant for children in need of care and protection.
Every resident child is to undergo immediate medical examination, with girls to be examined by a woman medical officer. The findings are to be recorded digitally.
Institutions have also been directed to provide children with confidential access to a woman counsellor or DCPU social worker without institutional staff being present. The department said children must have a safe channel to report abuse or other concerns.
DCPUs have additionally been instructed to conduct follow-up visits for children restored to their families or transferred to other institutions during the previous 24 months.
The department has ordered that institutions operating without registration be sealed and prosecuted under the Juvenile Justice Act and other applicable laws. Children found in such facilities are to be produced before the Child Welfare Committee for appropriate placement, restoration or rehabilitation.
The order also provides for action against institutional management where offences against children are established, including suspension of grant-in-aid and cancellation of registration in appropriate cases.
District administrations have been asked to submit a district-wise action-taken report by September 30, 2026, covering inspections, registered and unregistered institutions, children rescued and their placement, health screenings, staff verification, prosecutions and premises sealed.
The department has emphasised that the exercise is to be treated as a matter of personal supervision and accountability, rather than routine administrative delegation.
Earlier this month, the family of a tribal minor girl admitted to a Child Care Institution was found pregnant by four months. Investigations revealed that she was subjected to assault on multiple occasions.
A 52-year-old watchman has been arrested, while a 13-year-old juvenile inmate has been sent to a correctional home in connection with the case.