ORC resource centre to come up in Koz

Kozhikode: The social justice department is planning to open its third district resource centre (DRC) for Our Responsibility to Children (ORC) project in the state. It will be set up in Kozhikode district.
The department has already opened DRCs in Malappuram, Wayanad and Ernakulum districts. The officials with the district child protection unit have initiated steps to identify a suitable building to house the DRC.
The DRC will function as a resource centre for children and parents under the ORC project.The centre will also offer psychological assistance to adolescents who show deviant behaviour. “We are planning to offer the support of a permanent psychologist at the centre to offer help to children and parents,” said Mohammed Saif, state consultant of Our Responsibility to Children. The centre will have the facility to coordinate various government departments working for the welfare of children, he added.
At present, ORC project covers 10 schools in the district. The behavioural pattern of students of these schools is monitored by the coordinators and children showing deviant behaviour are given special focus. With the launch of the district resource centre, adolescents from non-ORC schools will also be offered mentoring with the help of the persons at the DRC.
The centre will also function as a knowledge hub for children. Children addicted to drugs and those who have experienced sexual and other abuses will be counselled at the centre to bring them back to normal social life. Besides, children, who work as peer mentors, will be imparted special training at the centre.
The centre will offer facilities for child-friendly counselling and will connect the mentee to experts with health department and other departments. Skill acquisition programme for mentees, mentor–mentee and mentor–parent interface will also be offered at the centre.
Tele-counselling and follow up counselling facilities will also be offered at the centre. The DRC will function as a referral agency with the support of the police department, District Legal Service Society and other groups, said Saif.