Summary of KSCPCR Order  

August 16, 2016

  Summary of KSCPCR Order   The Kerala State Child Rights Protection Commission (KSCPCR) issued an order regarding a complaint filed by Smt. Seema Lal, a psychologist and a member of the parents' forum "Together We Can." The complaint raised concerns about the functioning of therapy centers for children with different abilities. The KSCPCR addressed several key issues in its order:

1. Unhealthy Practices: The KSCPCR noted that unhealthy practices were occurring in centers for children with different abilities.

2. Lack of Parent Involvement: Many therapy centers did not allow parents to be present during therapy sessions, preventing them from understanding their children's training and continuing it at home.

3. Physical Abuse: Cases of children undergoing physical abuse after therapy sessions were reported.

4. Lack of Individualized Education Program (IEP): Most centers did not create individualized education programs for each child.

5. Lack of Transparency: Parents were not informed about what occurred during therapy sessions, and there was no provision for CCTV coverage.

6. Ineffective Progress: The condition of children attending these centers did not show progress for extended periods.

In response to these issues, the KSCPCR made several recommendations:

1. Registration and Licensing: All special needs rehabilitation centers in Kerala should be registered under the Kerala Municipality and Kerala Panchayat Raj rules. Parties 1, 2, 5, and 6 were tasked with ensuring that no organization operates without proper registration and licenses.

2. Guidelines Formulation: Parties 1 and 4, in consultation with experts and parents, were instructed to formulate detailed guidelines for the functioning and activities of rehabilitation centers within three months.

3. Guidelines Implementation: The guidelines should specify procedures for registration, a code of conduct, qualifications for staff, infrastructure requirements, and rules for operation. Authorities should audit and ensure implementation of these guidelines.

4. Therapist Registration: All practitioners and therapists working in rehabilitation and therapy should get registered with the designated authorities according to the guidelines.

5. Monitoring Committee: A district-level monitoring committee should be formed to oversee the functioning of all centers in the state. This committee should include representatives from parents of children with different abilities.

6. Legal Action: Defendant 12 should verify all therapy centers in the Ernakulam district and take legal action if any violations are found.

The KSCPCR ordered that the report of the steps taken by the defendants in response to these recommendations be submitted within 60 days. This order was signed by Smt. Sobha Koshy (Chairperson), Sri. K. Naseer (Member), and Smt. Meena C.U (Member), and was issued on August 8, 2016.