Keeping in mind the three key principles of protection mainstreaming – Safety, Access, and Dignity and avoiding causing harm and ensuring meaningful access, accountability, and participation and empowerment, Caritas India’s Surokhit Shaishav – Promoting Safe Childhood in West Bengal organised three days’ workshop on PROTECTION at Seva Kendra Siliguri from 8^th to 10^th December 2022.

Child Rights programme team of seven implementing partners participated in this training facilitated by Mr Avik Dey, Manager- Program Development, Catholic Relief Services, India. The training aimed at ensuring that programme activities imbibe protection principles and are centred around safeguarding objectives.

The participants were sensitized around gender roles and associated stereotypes. Role plays, games, and videos were among the various tools utilized to help the trainees gain a practical understanding of the issue.

On day two guidelines on protection and practical actions were initiated. Through video clips, the eight core components- Analysis, Targeting and diversity of needs, Information Sharing, Community engagement, Feedback and complaint mechanism, Staff conduct, mapping and referral and coordination and advocacy- were explained to ensure the implementation of SAD- Safety, Access and Dignity.

On the final day, participants visited Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation, India, Darjeeling to get a hands-on experience in the field on protection. The workshop proved to be a resourceful exercise and helped the trainees get a clear insight into the child rights programme focussing on bringing equality by challenging gender stereotypes and norms.

‘This workshop has been an eye-opener for me. I used to see things from one perspective only. This is just the beginning, and we have to pursue the journey of life with this learning” …. Were words expressed by Ms Anchal Tamang- Darjeeling.

Mental stability is as important as the physical well being. Three cardinal principles are quintessential to any struggle for children’s rights – Look, Listen and Link. Caritas India’s child rights programme in West Bengal works on addressing the psychological needs of children once they are freed from the clutches of bondage. A need to have a training session to internalize these principles was voiced by the programme team.

Hence on 12^th and 13^th December 2022, Caritas India, Surokhit Shaishav – Promoting Safe Childhood in West Bengal organised a two days training session on Psychosocial Counselling at Seva Kendra Siliguri.

The gravity of the matter is such that it demands a clinical understanding of child psychology and behaviour. So the programme coordinators were trained on the fundamentals of counselling and psychology through various steps to foster hands-on skills for programmatic needs. Taking assistance from expertise Caritas India collaborated with Child In Need Institute (CINI) to organise the training. Two resource persons from CINI viz. Ms Mili Dutta, Psychosocial Counsellor and Ms Gayatri Rai Program, Education Coordinator facilitated two days of psychosocial counselling sessions to explain the basic concept of counselling in a very lucid manner for the partners.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Mili the lead facilitator shared the role of a counsellor as a Good communicator, Non-judgemental, patient, confident, trusting & respectful.

She also discussed various challenges faced by counsellors by sharing her personal experiences. Milli suggested for optimal outcomes children and parents should get separate counselling after seeking permission from the child’s parent.

She then covered the ethical principles of counselling which every counsellor needs to imbibe-

1. Being Trustworthy
2. Autonomy
3. Justice
4. Beneficial and
5. Non- Maleficence

This was followed by a series of role plays and games on communications and how to conduct counselling sessions by the participants.

In her concluding session, she elaborated on the significance of counselling as it gives an opportunity for the child to regulate their emotions and understand the connection between their feelings and behaviour and develop self-control. This builds their self-esteem and confidence and decreases anxiety and depression