New Delhi: Delhi govt’s women and child development (WCD) department has initiated the process of framing comprehensive guidelines for the care, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration of street children in the capital, with a dedicated committee set up to prepare the framework.The committee, to be chaired by a senior member of the child protection and development unit (CPDU), will include officials from child welfare homes, district child protection units and welfare departments. It will also have field experts working closely with vulnerable children. A senior committee member said priority is to engage with designated stakeholders and formulate an impact-driven roadmap.The panel has been asked to examine the existing system for street children and children engaged in begging, identify gaps in care and rehabilitation, and suggest a more coordinated response. As part of the exercise, institutional mechanisms such as open shelters, children’s homes, outreach services and convergence efforts under Mission Vatsalya will be reviewed to assess their efficacy.The guidelines are expected to cover the entire chain of intervention, from prevention and identification to rescue, rehabilitation and long-term reintegration. The committee will develop strategies to identify vulnerable children early, map hotspots and strengthen rescue operations, while also focusing on immediate support systems, including shelter, healthcare and counselling.The rehabilitation framework is likely to emphasise long-term support measures, including education, vocational training, family restoration and follow-up mechanisms aimed at preventing children from slipping back into street situations. The panel is expected to study models adopted in other states and countries and identify practices that can be adapted for Delhi.The committee will also recommend ways to strengthen coordination between govt departments, NGOs and civil society organisations, besides suggesting monitoring systems based on measurable outcomes. The order also allows the panel to co-opt members from the child care committee constituted earlier this year and seek additional expert inputs, if required.The committee has been given 15 days to submit draft guidelines to the WCD secretary. Based on the findings, consultations with stakeholders, including govt agencies and civil society groups, will be carried out before the framework is finalised.According to sources, the move aims to build a more effective and sustained response to the realities faced by street children, many of whom remain outside the reach of formal welfare systems.Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO and a member of the committee as a subject expert, said the scale of the problem remains far beyond what official systems currently reflect. “It’s a great step by the department. Delhi’s street children are among the city’s most invisible and vulnerable populations. With an estimated 1.5 to 3 lakh children living on the streets and nearly 700 slum clusters housing over a million people, there is still no official census or reliable headcount to guide policy,” he said.He said a significant number of these children are migrants who lack local documentation, Aadhaar or even birth certificates, effectively excluding them from education, healthcare and welfare schemes. “Many are pushed into informal labour at extremely low wages, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, while substance abuse often becomes a coping mechanism for hunger, stress and trauma,” he said.Gupta said children living on the streets remain exposed to constant risks of physical, mental and sexual abuse, with limited protection systems available on the ground. Healthcare access, especially emergency care, remains inadequate, while shelter homes are often unable to handle the scale or the complexity of the problem.He added that rehabilitation becomes even more difficult for families living on the streets, where poverty, migration and livelihood pressures repeatedly push children back into vulnerable conditions. Adolescent girls, in particular, often become invisible after puberty due to safety concerns, increasing the risk of exploitation.Frequent evictions, displacement, weak outreach and poor awareness about welfare schemes further disrupt access to services, while education remains inconsistent because of migration and the pressure to earn.“Equally alarming is the severe psychosocial distress among these children, with little access to counselling or mental health support. The issue needs not just rescue-based interventions, but a coordinated system for identification, protection, rehabilitation and long-term reintegration,” Gupta said.WCD secretary Rashmi Singh said the aim of the initiative is to bring all stakeholders together and develop a realistic roadmap for the future. “Issues like Aadhaar-related challenges and other concerns will be addressed in the guidelines,” she added.
