OBJECTIVES

The MWCD recognizes that at present there is acute shortage of data and information pertaining to issues related to child protection. Due to this gap, there is no comprehension about the dimension of the problem i.e. number of children requiring support and the kind of services they are in need of. In order to bridge this gap, the MWCD, under the ICPS, has developed an effective system for child protection data management and reporting as well as a tool for monitoring the implementation of all its child protection schemes. A web-enabled data management system on child protection has been created as a resource base for child protection issues. A nationwide website 'TrackChild' has been developed for tracking missing children and their ultimate repatriation and rehabilitation.

This is a complex and intensive activity demanding a lot of time and resources. The Child Tracking System has been setup by the Ministry of Women and Child Development with data entry mechanisms and unified procedures for enabling centralized coordination through effective use of web-enabled software that has been developed by NIC for this purpose. At the State level SCPS with support of DCPUs are setting up and managing this Child Tracking System. The main objectives of the Child Tracking System i.e. TrackChild is

Set up a Web-enabled Child Protection Management Information System (MIS). The DCPUs are responsible for carrying out an exercise to map all services available to children in difficult circumstances and vulnerable children and their families in a district. This would include for example, location and contact details of all police stations, child care institutions, hospitals, primary health care (PHC) systems, paediatricians, members of CWCs and JJBs, Childline Services, etc. The DCPU will also maintain a database of all children in institutional care and non-institutional care at the district level with the ultimate goal of developing a comprehensive, integrated, live database for children in need of care and protection. As it is a complex and intensive activity, demanding a lot of time and resources, it is gradually being developed and expanded to the entire country.
Website for missing children. There is also a need to create a systematic and centralized mechanism for tracking large numbers of children who either run away or are missing for various reasons, and to facilitate their recovery and rehabilitation, a data base of missing children is being created on TrackChild.
Broadly TrackChild software has two modules, the information of the children, who are already covered under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Child) Act 2000 and the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is to be entered in the software by the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) functionaries including Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) & Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) members, and the information of the missing children being reported is to be entered and updated at the police stations. The ultimate goal of TrackChild project is to facilitate the matching of 'missing' children being reported at Police stations with those 'found' children who are residing in the Child Care Institutions (CCIs).