Volunteer children's homes under scrutiny

Chesmal SIRIWARDHANA

COLOMBO: The Probationary and Child Protection Department will conduct a survey and inspection of all volunteer children's homes in the country, Commissioner, S. Abeygunawardene said.

He said Sri Lanka has a number of children's homes managed by the Government and Non-Governmental Organisations.

According to Abeygunawardene, no action has been taken to check the quality of management of these homes.

The survey and inspection aims to gather information on these children's homes and help identify needs of these homes. The Child Protection Authority also aims to create a database on children's homes, he added.

Probationary officers and child rights protection officers will participate in this survey.

UNICEF is funding the survey. It will be conducted with the participation and mediation of the Child Development Ministry, UNICEF and the Child Protection Department.