BAL chetna

Bal Chetna is DCCW’s Respite Home and Daycare facility for mentally challenged children. It was established in 2002 and is located on the premises of the Orthopaedic Centre. The impetus to start a programme for mentally challenged children was four-fold:

There were increasing numbers of mentally challenged children abandoned at Palna^TM requiring special services.
Surveys done by DCCW's crèche workers in the neighbourhoods in which they worked, indicated that there was a high proportion of children with mental disabilities who were not getting the attention they needed.
An increasing number of children with cerebral palsy and children with multiple disabilities had started to come to the Orthopaedic Centre for help and advice.

Today, Bal Chetna comprises residential as well as day care facilities. The centres where DCCW’s Bal Chetna programmes are located are as follows:

Residential facilities for homeless mentally challenged children at:

The Orthopaedic Centre, Janakpuri (25 children)
Palna^TM, Civil Lines, Old Delhi (18 children)

Specialized day care facilities for mentally challenged children from economically backward families at:

The Orthopaedic Centre, Janakpuri, South West Delhi (27 children)
New Seemapuri, East Delhi (40 children)
Nithari, North West Delhi (30 children)
Sultanpuri North West Delhi (30children)

By providing individualised and specialised care to the children, under the supervision of a team of multi-speciality professionals and caregivers, Bal Chetna facilitates the stimulation and development of special needs children, with the objective of making each child as self-reliant, competent and communicative as is possible.

Services offered at Bal Chetna :

Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy
Music Therapy / Play Therapy
Special Education
Speech Therapy
Vocational Training
Psychological Evaluation
Parents’ Meetings and Counselling
Home Training Programme
Midday meal and Supplementary Nutrition

At the Orthopaedic Centre, a ‘Dream Garden’ was created for Bal Chetna children with a make-believe zoo, milk booth, traffic signal, bus-stop and a fruit and vegetable vending booth, to provide practical lessons to the children.

Parents are required to attend the day care programme once a week to help with the sessions and more importantly, to learn the routine so that they can follow it at home. The multi-specialty team at Bal Chetna are constantly improvising teaching aids and techniques to provide a variety of stimuli to the children. Bal Chetna children now participate in sports meets and can put together a simple dry lunch. They act in plays, dance and sing in celebration of all the major festivals.

It is a matter of pride for us at DCCW that several children from Bal Chetna have been integrated into mainstream schools and institutes for advanced courses in vocational training.

Programmes

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BAL chetna