CERI-India National Director Ian Anand Forber Pratt presents to students, faculty and community members at O.P. Jindal Global University
Sonipat, Haryana, India — At a presentation to O.P. Jindal Global University led by CERI-India’s National Director Ian Anand Forber Pratt of the Centre of Excellence in Alternative Care of Children (CEAC), Ian spoke about Alternative Care in India and the transition from a reliance on orphanages (institutions) to one on family-based care.
Ian Anand Forber Pratt explained that the transition can be called true social reform and the multidimensional complexities are relevant across the social sector. Professor R. Sudarshan, Dean Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP) commented, “[Ian Anand’s] talk convinced the audience that alternative care for children, with family care first and institutional care as a last resort, ought to be a public policy priority.”
The talk lasted one hour beyond the scheduled time due to the interest of students and faculty and the debate surrounding the feasibility of alternative care in India, the gap between policy and practice in the field and the need for true grass-roots/community development initiatives in India.
Mr. Forber-Pratt advised on the first foster care legislation in the history of India at the state level in Rajasthan (2014) and at the Central Level (2015). He presented the concept of family-based care in India at the 30th session Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva Switzerland in September 2015.
