Supporting children during COVID
We support children by listening to them during the lock down, and by enabling them to express their views and emotions, finding solutions to their problems and making decisions concerning their lives. This is done through tele-counselling support.
Most children (of the institution) are presently staying with their parents or guardians during the lock down, and few children continue to stay in the institution owing to personal circumstances. SIAAPINDIA staff speak to them everyday via audio and/or video calls. Sometimes we also make group calls to help children connect with their peers, and talk to parents to provide psycho social support and discuss parenting strategies . Such happy and constructive group discussions as well as individual counselling sessions has led to increased self-awareness, self-reflection, building better perspectives, thereby enabling children to make career choices, solve interpersonal conflicts with family members and peers, address their behavioural issues, make key life decisions regarding higher education, opting for family based care, despite the challenging COVID19 pandemic crisis.
Apart from psycho social support, our team also interacts with the family to identify their needs. Through our interactions, we learnt that four families were in dire need for dry ration. We immediately communicated with the DCPOs Chennai and Vizhupuram, who promptly coordinated and reached ration kits for two families in each districts. We will continue to work with the families and support through linkages and follow up.