Scheme for Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection (Goa)

What is the Scheme for Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection?

Scheme for Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection is a state grant-in-aid scheme of the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa. Its purpose, as the Directorate states it, is "To assist the Voluntary Organizations who cater to the needs of destitute and orphans up to the age of 18 years."

The scheme is one of the oldest instruments by which Goa funds residential care for children outside their families. It works as a per-child monthly maintenance grant paid to the organisation that houses the child, rather than a lump-sum institutional grant. That structure ties the money directly to the number of children actually admitted and cared for.

The phrase "children in need of care and protection" carries a statutory meaning, it is defined in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the Directorate's own citizen charter cross-refers to that definition when describing the child care institutions and homes it oversees in Goa.

How much does the scheme pay?

The Directorate publishes two rates:

• Rs 400 per child per month if the organisation houses the children in its own premises
• Rs 500 per child per month if the children are housed in rented premises

The higher rate for rented premises exists to offset rent, which an organisation with its own building does not pay. An organisation running a home for twenty children in rented premises is therefore looking at Rs 10,000 a month, or Rs 1,20,000 a year, under this scheme alone.

Grants are given to registered voluntary organisations admitting destitute and orphaned children up to 18 years, and the payment is calculated on the number of such children actually in care.

Which children does the scheme cover?

The Directorate defines the covered group in two limbs:

1. Children who do not have either of the parents or near relatives, the classic orphan case.
2. Children of single-parent families deprived of adequate family care due to death, desertion, prolonged illness or imprisonment of one of the parents, and where the income of the family is less than Rs 500 per month.

The Rs 500 monthly family income threshold in the second limb is the figure as recorded in the departmental citizen charter. It is a very old line, and an organisation preparing an application should ask the Directorate whether a revised income ceiling is being applied before rejecting a child's case on that ground alone.

In all cases the child must be up to 18 years of age.

Who can and cannot receive this assistance?

An organisation can apply if:

• It is a non-government voluntary organisation registered under the Registration of Societies Act, 1860; or a public trust registered under any law for the time being in force; or a local body, government body or other body specified by the Government.
• It has a managing body with defined powers, duties and responsibilities.
• It has experience of working in the field of women and children welfare.
• It renders its services without distinction of caste, religion or language.
• It actually looks after destitute and orphaned children as defined above, and houses them in its own or rented premises.

You are not eligible if:

• You are a parent, guardian, relative or the child. This is an organisation-facing grant. An individual cannot apply for a personal benefit, and no part of the grant is paid to a family. A family in distress should approach the Directorate of Women and Child Development, the District Child Protection Unit or the Child Welfare Committee directly, and separately look at Goa's individual social security schemes.
• Your body is unregistered, or is an informal group without a managing body.
• Your organisation is a single proprietorship or works only for a defined caste, religious or linguistic community, since services must be rendered without such distinction.
• The children in your care are over 18.

How to apply for the Scheme for Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection

1. Confirm your registration status. Have the current registration certificate under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or the trust registration, along with the constitution, bye-laws and the list of the managing body with their powers and duties.
2. Prepare the child-wise record. For each child admitted, keep age proof and the document establishing destitute or orphan status. A death certificate, a desertion record, a medical certificate for prolonged illness, or the record of a parent's imprisonment, together with evidence of family income for single-parent cases.
3. Establish the premises position. Attach the ownership document or the rent agreement, because the rate sanctioned, Rs 400 or Rs 500 per child per month — turns on it.
4. Submit the application to the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Panaji. The Directorate is the stated approach point for this scheme.
5. Respond to the Directorate's scrutiny. The Director may call for information and documents to satisfy itself of the credibility and genuineness of an organisation, and may conduct a local enquiry.
6. Maintain records for the recurring claim. Because the grant is per child per month, the organisation has to keep the admission and attendance record current and submit it for each claim period.

Should the organisation also seek NGO accreditation?

Accreditation is a separate, parallel process worth understanding. Under the Goa Non-Governmental Organisations Accreditation Guidelines, 2014, the Directorate of Women and Child Development accredits NGOs working in women and child welfare in Goa. Accreditation does not confer official status, but it lets an NGO work with government-run institutions and collaborate with other state departments, corporations and local bodies.

Key conditions are worth noting because they are stricter than the grant scheme's:

• The NGO must have a permanent office within the State of Goa.
• It must have worked continuously in women and child welfare for at least five years before applying, with documentary proof.
• It must be a registered society, trust or non-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, an individual proprietorship organisation does not qualify.
• Organisations promoted by a single business house to conduct CSR activities are not eligible.
• Accreditation is granted by the Goa Non-Governmental Organizations Accreditation Committee (GNGOAC), chaired by the Secretary (WCD), and is valid for three years, renewable.
• Supplying false, fraudulent or forged information leads to withdrawal and debarment for two to five years.

What commonly goes wrong?

• Applying as a family. The most frequent misunderstanding is that this is a child maintenance allowance for parents. It is not.
• Weak documentation of destitution. The scheme's second limb needs both the cause: death, desertion, prolonged illness or imprisonment of a parent, and the family income evidence.
• Missing age proof. Children must be up to 18; a child without documented age is hard to include in a per-child grant.
• Unclear premises status. Own premises and rented premises attract different rates, and an unsupported claim at the higher rate will be reduced.
• Lapsed society registration or a managing body whose term has expired.
• Serving a restricted community. The requirement to serve without distinction of caste, religion or language is a stated condition, not a preference.

Where do I contact the department?

The Directorate of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa is located at the Old Education Department Building, Panaji, and its citizen charter lists the office numbers (0832) 2235308 and 2426112, with a further office line on 0832-2419841 and fax 0832-2419846.

For a child at immediate risk, the route is not this scheme but the Child Welfare Committee, the District Child Protection Unit or Childline. The Directorate's citizen charter also publishes the addresses and phone numbers of the registered children's homes across Goa's talukas, which is the practical starting point for placement.

Key facts to remember

• Scheme for Welfare of Children in Need of Care and Protection is run by the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa.
• Rs 400 per child per month for own premises; Rs 500 per child per month for rented premises.
• Covers destitute and orphaned children up to 18 years.
• Single-parent cases need both a qualifying cause and family income below Rs 500 per month as recorded in the citizen charter.
• Only registered voluntary organisations, trusts, local bodies and government bodies can apply; individuals and families cannot.
• Services must be rendered without distinction of caste, religion or language.
• Applications go to the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Panaji.
• NGO accreditation under the 2014 guidelines is a separate three-year certification requiring five years of prior work in the field.

How to check your application status

This scheme has no online application tracker. The Directorate of Women and Child Development processes applications on paper, so an organisation has to follow up directly rather than check a portal.

• Keep your submission receipt. When you hand in the application at the Directorate's office in Panaji, note the date and, if one is issued, the diary or inward number. Quote this whenever you call or write to the office, it is the only reference the Directorate's staff can search against.
• Call the Directorate helpline for an update. The listed number is 0832-2235308 (the citizen charter also lists 2426112 as an alternate office line). Ask specifically whether the file has moved past initial scrutiny, whether a local enquiry has been scheduled or completed, and whether any document is still pending from your side.
• Expect a scrutiny or enquiry stage before any sanction. The Director may call for further information or conduct a local enquiry into the organisation's credibility before approving the grant. If your organisation has not heard back within a few weeks of submission, that enquiry stage is the most likely place the file is sitting, and it is worth asking whether an enquiry visit has been fixed.
• Follow up in person if calls do not resolve it. Because this is a small departmental scheme rather than a portal-driven one, a visit to the Directorate's office at the Old Education Department Building, Panaji, with your receipt and a copy of the application, is often the fastest way to get a definite answer.
• Track the recurring claim separately from the first approval. Once a grant is sanctioned, payment for later months depends on the admission and attendance records the organisation submits for each claim period. If a monthly payment is delayed, the first thing to check is whether that period's attendance record actually reached the Directorate, since the grant is calculated per child per month and will not be released without it.
• There is no SMS or email status alert for this scheme. Any update comes from the Directorate itself, so build a habit of checking in by phone every few weeks rather than waiting for a notification.