The Rivers State Government has planned a regulatory framework to ensure the protection of vulnerable children and those outside the family setting.

The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs. Lorreta Dimkpa, disclosed this in Port Harcourt while declaring open the maiden validation meeting on the Alternative Child Care Guidelines in Port Harcourt, the State capital.

The Permanent Secretary, whose address was delivered by Mrs. Queen Maxwell, said the meeting is in line with the government’s broader vision to advance the welfare of the orphans and other vulnerables, while promoting community-based care, re-unification and reintegration.

According to the Permanent stecretary, her Ministry is also in partnership with relevant stakeholders to revise and update the country’s alternative Care framework with the general objective of establishing a regulatory instrument that enhances the quality of services provided by government and non-governmental organizations involved in child care.

She described the meeting as significant as it marks a critical milestone “in our collective effort to strengthen child protection systems and promote the rights and welfare of every child in Rivers State.

“When we speak of Alternative Child Care, we refer to the process through which the government ensures that children who are deprived of parental care, or are at risk of being so, are provided with adequate protection and appropriate forms of care.

“These guidelines are designed to ensure that such children enjoy safe, nurturing, and family-like environments that promote their full and harmonious development.

“This initiative derives its foundation from key national and international instruments: the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended), which guarantees the protection of children’s rights; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC); the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC); and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act of 2003.

“Collectively, these frameworks mandate government at all levels to ensure that no child suffers neglect, exploitation, or deprivation of care.”

Dimkpa, however, expressed regret that in recent years, Rivers State has witnessed rising concerns regarding children in vulnerable circumstances, those affected by poverty, displacement, family disintegration, or abuse, adding that “these realities call for renewed action and coordinated strategies to safeguard our children’s future.”

She said it will also “prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families, and ensure that when alternative care becomes necessary, the type and quality of care provided truly serve the best interests of the child.

“Through this validation meeting, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, seeks to revise and update the country’s alternative care framework with the general objective of establishing a regulatory instrument that enhances the quality of services provided by governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in childcare.

“This exercise also aligns with the State Government’s broader commitment under the leadership of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, to advance the welfare of orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC), while promoting community-based care, reunification and reintegration, foster care, and adoption as more sustainable and family-oriented alternatives.

“This meeting represents a pilot phase of our collective resolve to reimagine child care systems in Rivers State, ensuring that institutional care remains a short-term and last-resort option”, she said.

Speaking with newsmen, the State Coordinator For Child Protection Network, Rivers State, Iringi Irimagha, said the guidelines was to ensure that children who are vulnerable or about to be vulnerable as a result of parents death or other incident are well taken care of.

She said the guidelines was developed by The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, stressing that it is now the responsibility of states to demosticate the guidelines in their respective states.

Irimagha added that “what we are doing here is the validation for Rivers state.”

Speaking with newsmen, Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Tombari Dumka Koote, said the validation of Alternative Child Care was all about institutionalising the care for children outside the family setting.

He said stakeholders at the validation meeting have also agreed to demosticate the document in the state.

John Bibor, Alikor Miracle, Igwe Young, & Birane Progress