The Institutional Placement Program (IPP) evolved in consultation with mothers who wanted to de-link their children from the traumatizing exposures of Red-Light Areas (RLAs) and place them in long-term residential care and protection, as they felt their children were not safe in the RLAs. In such cases, where the child was in need of care and protection and needed to be placed in institutional care, these cases were referred to the IPP team. What began as a need-based placement of children in Child Care Institutions (CCI) is now a structured intervention that involves collaborations with the government mechanisms to ensure successful protection and rehabilitation of vulnerable and at-risk children. These children are presented before the Child Welfare Committees (CWC is a quasi-judicial body set up under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015). The CWC assesses if the children are in need of care and protection and whether they should be referred for institutional care. The team actively follows-up with children who are placed in, helps the child adapt to the environment of a CCI and over the course of time, also assists in developing and implementing a rehabilitation plan for these children. The team also engages the mothers of the children in preparing plans and making decisions for the future of the children in institutions.
