Islamabad: Today, in a special meeting at the Poverty Alleviation and
Social Safety Division (PASSD), the standards for private sector orphanages and childcare were approved. SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. This is the first time that such an initiative has been taken.
Pakistan has a very vibrant philanthropy sector and there are a number of orphanages in the private sector which have mushroomed all over the country. Many of these are run by NGOs and are supported by private philanthropy. However, there is no consistency in services provided in these orphanages and the care provided is of varying quality. Taking cognizance of this, Ehsaas strategy had stipulated under its policy no. 37 that standards would be developed for orphanages.
For this purpose, a committee was established in 2019. The committee was headed by Nadeem Ahmed Khan, Chairperson Khubaib Foundation and all major NGOs hosting orphanages were members of the committee in addition to Parliamentarians. The committee held 17 formal meetings and 70 side sessions. The standards that were developed had several iterations and UNICEF has endorsed those standards. UNICEF is also formally part of the committee.
Today, the standards were formally approved, and it was decided that these standards will be notified for all orphanages in the federal area and will be shared with provinces asking them to implement. A sub-committee will also be notified next week to build further on this work so that a regulatory framework is developed.
Approving the standards, Dr. Nishtar remarked, “Drawing on strengths of all stakeholders, these standards have been devised to set a new precedent by improving the quality of orphan care, as this aspect was neglected in the past with regard to public service delivery.” She then continued, “The implementation of orphanages’ standards will ensure that the quality of care provided, when a child enters alternative care is consistent with the rights and specific needs of various categories of children particularly orphans and lost children. To track progress in implementation of these orphanages’ standards, a comprehensive monitoring mechanism and observatory would also be developed.”
In our country, alternative care to orphans is largely provided by the government and the NGOs. These operating guidelines have been specifically chalked out to run orphanages and children homes, keeping in view the national and international standards of care. They would provide guidance and direction to orphanage management for quality service and control, catering to the minimum possible requirement of an orphanage from eligibility, accommodation, safety and security, infrastructure, diet, education, counselling, staff performance and facilities.