Nurturing childhood through group foster care system: A case study of hope community village

Kerala is a pioneer in implementing pro-poor laws and social protection schemes, ensuring the rights and welfare of children in underprivileged communities. This study examines the innovative group foster care system of Hope Community Village in Alappuzha, Kerala, as a transformative approach in addressing the needs of Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) by providing a familial environment. A qualitative approach was used, employing focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. Participants included children, Hope Mothers, and key organisational staff, selected through purposive sampling. The research focused on understanding the process, benefits, challenges, and coping strategies within the system. The findings indicated that the system follows a structured process of intake, need assessment, care planning, intervention, evaluation, and aftercare. Benefits align with the themes of four basic child rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1992 which include ensuring quality healthcare, age-appropriate nutrition, a safe place to live, protection from physical violence and psychological intimidation, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society with dignity, respect to ethnic background and religion and taking the voices of children into account. Challenges identified include funding constraints, evolving social policies, professional staffing, and societal acceptance which were coped through strategies involving fund management, active policy advocacy, staff recruitment, and social engagement. The study concludes that the group foster care model at Hope Community Village is a replicable framework for providing comprehensive care and protection to vulnerable children.