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ANMOL
STATE CHILD PROTECTION SOCIETY

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Situation before the initiative Children are the best human resource that any country has. India has an added advantage of having the largest young population with it. If this resource is handled properly, it will contribute to the economy and overall development of the society and country. According to a UNICEF report there are 25 million orphaned children in India deprived for interim or permanently of parental care for many reasons including illness, death or imprisonment of parents, separation due to migration or armed conflict, the removal by child welfare authorities and/or the courts based on the child’s best interests, detention of the child, or following the child’s own initiative to leave home. Orphans are one of the less blessed segments in the major segment of the future builders of the nation. Every child should get a healthy environment, to shine in all spheres of life. It is our responsibility to provide a family and home to every child in need of care and protection. State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) has been constituted in the state to facilitate legal adoption of children. However, there was no effective monitoring management system to monitor the functioning of each Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) , collate it with others to expedite adoption, tracking of availability of child, facilitate Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAP's), leading to long waiting list of parents and children. The process was being handled manually. Problems and issues to be addressed • Lack of information about adoption process. • Vast geographical outreach • Manual tracking : difficult to track child and PAP : huge wait lists of parents/ children • Registration done manually by visiting SAA, access limited to one centre only. • Lack of transparency • Manual data collection and compilation, prone to errors, lack of validity, no backup in case of data lost, retrieval of data not possible. • Excessive use of manpower • Time consuming process • Feedback : time consuming, prone to bias • Information flow dependent on homes, restricted information about other homes. • Lack of co-ordination: each adoption agency worked in silos, integration of database of other homes/ registered child required. • Developing healthy interface among stakeholders. • Need of single window system. PAP's had to register in SAA of their respective location and get the child from the same SAA depending upon availability of child in SAA. PAP applying in a particular home 'A' could not adopt a child due to non availability where as the other home 'B' had a child with no demand for the child, due to lack of interface and manual feeding of status on child’s availability, the child and family both could not be blessed. This led to long waiting lists in a particular home but other homes had children but no demand. There was a need to develop an effective smart governance to bring all the agencies under one umbrella, synchronise homes of the entire state to ease the monitoring process and expedite the adoption process.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
The initiative was proposed by the Commissioner, Women Empowerment, Ms. Kalpana Srivastava. She actively involved various stakeholders in every process of designing and implementation of project. What the initiative is about? ANMOL (www.adoptionmp.in) is the country’s first state level innovative initiative which facilitates the adoption process by bridging gaps between children and PAP's, by linking all stakeholders’ viz.: children, parents, homes, child welfare committees and the state adoption and resource agency (SARA) on a single platform/network. (PAPs) once registered with ANMOL would access all information on adoption, available children, their legal status, waiting list status online. ANMOL has brought transparency in SARA functioning and made all stakeholders’ responsive. The Objectives • Providing easy access to citizens /PAPs to procedures/ amendments • To ease process of adoption. • Ensuring strong interface between SAA, PAP's, Police, Child Welfare Society (CWC), District Authorities/DCPS (District Child Protection Society). • Tracking status / availability of child staying in homes by gender / age, admission of children, death if any, legal status, adoption status, PAP’s registered with SAA, children available for inter-country adoption, status of adopted children till 3 years. • Providing technical support to CWC • Ensuring transparency and trustworthiness in SAA functioning. • Interlinking every home to ensure expeditious delivery mechanism • Monitoring of special cases and target monitoring. • Developing analytical reports for management. • Enabling management for action against irregularity/ malpractice in adoption • Reducing no. of children in SAA & waiting of PAP’s. • Publicity of ANMOL Target Audience Orphan children staying in homes and PAP's. Description of Strategy Base Line Study Prior to ANMOL, an inadequate manual system was in place for adoption process. As this was the first initiative in the country there was no model or prototype to observe within the country. Hence, there was a need for a baseline study to come up with the right solution (software development). The study pointed out huge gaps between child and PAP's during the entire adoption process. Roll out/Implementation Model The next stage was to evolve a prototype of the solution required in the allocated timeframe and resources. A credible, reliable, accurate, flexible, transparent, accessible, responsive, dynamic, system was required to register PAP's, check availability of child in different homes in state, to monitor/ track PAP's all children and SAA, no. of cases brought before the court, no. of children adopted, no. of waiting list cleared, aligning all the SAA, monitoring timely floating of advertisements, disposal of applications, linking with CWC and police for expeditious processing, resolving queries/ problems. Suitable hardware solutions were finalised to ensure no time lag in proposed solution. ANMOL was developed using Scrum, an iterative and incremental agile framework for managing software development. This enabled management to face unpredicted challenges and provided it space for adaptability and flexibility in the system. The algorithm and logic were developed in a months time with proper documentation right from the beginning. This was followed by development of web application in incremental parts, which was sequentially tested and approved. Database development involved integration of data available at different homes and agencies with upcoming registration of parents. Strict care was taken in data feeding to avoid any discrepancies. Web application was ensured to run smoothly on all current popular browsers like Mozilla, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer. Feedback was collected again, district wise in documented form and changes were incorporated. SAA were provided with demo/training at their respective locations by trained professionals. Communication and Dissemination Strategy Effective communication has been taken up to promote ANMOL through advertisements hoardings, mobile applications, web and help desk etc.
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
The technology used for ANMOL (www.adoptionmp.in) is unique in the sense that it makes the adoption process simpler and demand driven, is responsive for both i.e. for the government and for the end user. The technology is prone to mobile applications and IVRS for extending outreach and making it convenient for the user. The user now can access the information about the adoption process by using mobile phones thereby reducing the cost incurred by the user on travel and lodging, boarding. It also has saved time invested by the user for availing the scheme benefits. ASP.NET technology used for ANMOL is adaptable to every condition. ANMOL is innovative because :- a. It is a strong tool which bridges gaps between PAP's and children staying in different homes in need of a family. b. It addresses the emergent social cause of bringing orphan children in mainstream of development by providing loving parents to ensure their healthy living. c. It has streamlined the adoption process by bringing all the stakeholders viz:- State Adoption and Resource Agency (SARA), CWC, homes and parents under one umbrella.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
To make the adoption process effective and result oriented the management decided to introduce an ICT enabled governance model to fast track the process and make it more responsive and demand driven. The process of developing ANMOL was as under:- Step 1 . Formation of Core Group (January 13- March 13) A core group was formed to assess the need for information and to develop formats on which the reports were envisaged. Numerous discussions were held with senior officials and field representatives, NGO's involved with the initiative and a team of professionals including system analysts, developers and NGO's professionals with expertise in data base management and administration. There was a brainstorming on developing an effective e – tracking which would enable the management to capture information on PAPs registered with SAA and the status of children staying in homes. The system should be effective in segregation of data of PAPs and children as per their requirement and the age as well as responsive, dynamic and easily accessible to all citizens. The focus was on designing a credible, reliable and accurate system to ensure transparency. Step 2 . Selection of suitable technology (April 2013) As adoption of children was a sensitive issue, proper care was taken to select a technology platform which could address security issues. Step 3. Development of information panels (May 2013 – July 2013) Based on reporting formats a team of professionals were involved in developing information panels and also finding methods for evaluating information so that the management should be able to track the areas for interventions. Step 4 . Assessing financial requirements (August 2013) The management was keen to develop an in house cost effective monitoring management system which should be easy to operate. The financial requirement for the same was assessed prior to development of software. Step 5 . Pilot Testing , modifications and implementation (September 2013 – December 2013) The developed system was tested in one or two homes to assess the effectiveness of the software before implementing it in the entire state. The strategy was to ensure implementation of self sustainable monitoring management system. The system was further fine tuned as per the requirement from the access centres. Step 6 . Training of Project staff (January 2014 – March 2014 and continue … ) Once the software was developed and was ready for implementation, intensive training was provided to all the concerned staff who were involved in the data feeding. The training was given every month to keep the staff updated on latest developments. Step 7 . Data Uploading (April 2014 – June 2014 ) The data on the final version of the software was uploaded with the help of professionals to minimize the chances of errors. Step 8 . Implementation and concurrent monitoring and training ( July 2014 onwards ) The software once installed was regularly revisited by professionals to ensure effective implementation and regular monitoring to be done by them to ensure reliability of data and information. Communication and dissemination strategy and approach used The scheme aims at fast tracking the adoption process. Huge campaigning has been undertaken to publicize ANMOL through hoardings, trainings, awareness programs and communication through various print and electronic media.
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
Smart democratic/ participatory leadership skills have been experienced at the time of designing the project and during its implementation. ANMOL was conceptualised by Ms. Kalpana Srivastava, Commissioner, Women Empowerment and Honorary Secretary, State Adoption and Resource Agency (SARA). She actively involved various stakeholders in every process of designing and implementation of ANMOL. A core team comprising of senior officials from the department was constituted to ensure good practices and to make it a powerful communication tool for expediting the adoption process and clear long waiting list of parents and children. The core team was made responsible for rectification of all sorts of queries, suggestions and complaints received from the stakeholders. The core team functions on participatory approaches wherein every member is proactive and responsive. Monthly review of the performance has been undertaken to ensure smooth implementation and resolving issues that arise during the course of implementation. The roles of other stakeholders were:- Mr. Harish Khare, Deputy Director, Mr. Arvind Singh Bhal were made responsible for managing human resources and assessing the training need of staff involved in the implementation, organizing workshops at regular intervals for implementers to get feedback on functioning of the software and providing solutions for queries on technology. Mr. Rishi Dubey, Mr. Amit Chaturvedi and Mr. Saurabh Mishra were involved in designing various reporting formats. They were also responsible for designing structural and analytical framework for analyzing the data to assess the outcomes of the scheme. Mr. Tarun Bamba, Mr. Sharad Saxena and Ms. Surbhi Dubey were responsible for Web designing & development, Data Base management, security measures, Infrastructural support, technical support, Band width and connectivity support, Data feeding, compilation, need for up gradation, changes required, preparation of reports etc. managing data base, Training, sensitisation for behavioural change, resource management.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
Financial Resources ANMOL has been developed in house by hiring the services of professionals; hence no additional cost was incurred on software development. Financial resources were used of the purpose for hiring the services of web hosting and server rental etc. Financial resources were also used for enhancing capacities of human resources on use of software and technology. Human Resources Skilled manpower was required for each home for data feeding and generation of reports for the management. ANMOL is implemented through shelter homes and SARA Office. One data entry operator was placed at every centre for data feeding and report generation. Earlier, the data feeding was done by untrained staff posted at different centers causing errors and delays in resolution of cases and queries. All the data entry operators were provided training on software and technology. These trainings were organized at regular intervals to keep the staff updated on latest modifications made on dashboard and resolution of problems while data feeding. Technical Resources Latest technology has been used for hosting ANMOL. The web based MIS at www.adoptionmp.in has been developed by using ASP.Net technology. It functions on Intel Xeon 3440 (Intel Xeon 3440) server which enables scheme speed up processing : huge number of users can access the portal. The system uses limestone data centre and Window Web Sever 2008 R2 operating system. It has Intel Xeon X 3440 Quad – core processor with 2.5 GHZ-4 Core. It has a band width of 5000 GB with a speed of 100 MBPS. The hardware used for hosting ANMOL has an enormous capacity of 500 GB SATA for data storage. The entire system is hosted at ZNet Live’s U. S. Datacentre. ANMOL is based on SQL server 2008 R2 datacentre to create high end memory and supports 256 logical processors. The server used for ANMOL is extremely handy for running a real time system and create spaces for analysing data and cannot afford the latency of a committed write to a table first. It facilitates monitoring multiple inputs streams simultaneously. The technology used for ANMOL provides an opportunity of tracking, query handling, help desk, etc. It is also prone to mobile applications.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
The most successful outputs of ANMOL which have contributed to the success are:- Synchronised Communication Channel – Communicating with and contacting adoption agencies has now become very easy and accessible to PAPs. Information regarding administrative orders are available through ANMOL. Monthly and quarterly information on adoption and waiting list status of PAP's and children is available in one click with 24-hour helpline facility. Ease of Use - Anmol is accessible through any modern age web browser like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla or Firefox. Automatic Alerts are enabled on registered E-mail and SMSs to PAPs and agencies. There is a special provision for disabled people; they also get information at his/her doorstep through SMS and/or e-mails. Information forms and fill in details are easy to access and feed in. They are regularly updated in database. ANMOL is a web portal that enables management and end user to track the status of application on eligibility, waiting list status. ANMOL has a separate panel on children with special needs. Developing Strong Interface between stakeholders ANMOL has been able to develop a strong interface between all the stakeholders. All the homes are interlinked, can access status on PAPs and the children for fast tracking adoption process. Police are being informed for FIR for instant action. CWC now are making a child legally free for adoption within the stipulated time. Support /24 x 7 Helpline – An efficient, dedicated and totally online helpline has been one of the most important parts of this web application which functions in 5 steps right from the generation of report to the closure of request. Prior to introducing the web based MIS, there were several drawbacks with regard to addressing complaints/queries, providing first-hand information on the scheme & its benefits. Monitoring - There has been a continuous watch from the admin area on the status of adoption rates; child growth .The population is segregated in terms of age of parents and children. Anmol has a unique feature of tracking the entry of child by local authorities, Police, and public. It also facilitates the process of tracking the growth of children once he/she is admitted to a particular home. Their health, education and skill development are being taken care of by the home and are being tracked effectively by Anmol.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
ANMOL is a self managed system which generates sequential reports on children staying in different homes and the PAPs applied and registered with different homes for adopting child. It also provides the information on status of applications received from PAPs in different stages and tracks the position of child to make it convenient for the PAPs to know about the child they can adopt. ANMOL tracks the child once he/she enters in a particular home till he/she has been adopted. ANMOL provides the information about the procedures set in the guidelines. It gives information about FIR with the police, whether the case was sent to CWC for making child legally free, whether the process of adoption started and so on Monitoring of the scheme is done through online management system and field level reporting by district and project level authorities. The monitoring process for ANMOL is as under:- a. Monitoring at Homes The first level monitoring is done at different homes. The homes regularly monitor the status of children staying in it and the number of applications received in it for adoption. Each home prepares a manual register and feeds the data online to make the process transparent. Each home is also supposed to take timely action on making the child legally free without any delay and inform the PAPs about the availability of child in the home. Each home is also responsible for the digitisation of documents of child and the PAPs and ensures online feeding of data. b. District Level Monitoring The next level monitoring is done at the district level where the reports from each home are being validated by the Child Protection Officer (CPO). The CPO also verifies the information from its data bank and prepares report on number of children, PAPs already registered, new PAPs added and on the status of waiting list. The online information of each district is being checked and submitted online to the state office. c. State Level Monitoring The reports from all the districts and homes are compiled at the state level and verified from the data bank for data validation. The state unit informs the respective home and the district office in case if discrepancies are found in submission of data. The state unit also evaluates the status of PAPs applications and tracks the availability of child online and ensures whether all the procedural formalities are being taken care of before adoption.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
ANMOL has been initiated with a view to fast track the adoption process and clear the long waiting list of prospective parents who have registered themselves for want of a child. Prior to ANMOL, it has been observed that there was a huge waiting list of PAPs and despite the availability of children in different homes, this had not been cleared. As a result of which many PAPs had refused to adopt a child due to inadvertent delays. Another problem prior to ANMOL was of rigorous travelling required by the PAPs to respective homes where they had registered for adoption. The PAPs had to visit homes to know about their status on application. They had to be in regular touch with the homes since there were no methods to make the PAPs updated on the status. Some the obstacles were:- 1. Data Processing During the implementation of ANMOL, it was observed that many homes did not have supporting documents of child and PAPs to validate the adoption process. Hence, assessing whether the adoption process fulfils all the legal and procedural formalities was doubtful. Many homes did not keep the records of adopted child and the status tracking of adopted child till three years after adoption was very difficult. This problem was overcome by making all the homes aligned under ANMOL and all the relevant documents of child and PAPs have been uploaded online in the portal. 2. Training of staff The most critical concern was training and sensitization of staff involved in data entry. Most of the staff was not exposed to computers and latest technological environment and need to be trained to minimize the chances of errors. The staff were trained at regular intervals to keep them updated with latest requirements.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
Improvement in Delivery of Public Services ANMOL has helped management in fast tracking the adoption process by developing strong interface between all stakeholders, especially the PAPs who were earlier visiting homes frequently for getting child for adoption and are now well connected online and tracking their status with great ease. The registration of PAPs are now done online who are also informed about the adoption procedures online resulting in no delays and cutting down their travel cost and other expenses. Prior to ANMOL the PAPs were registered with specific homes and could get the child from the same home, now they can change the choice of home in order to expedite the adoption process. ANMOL has impacted remarkably on monitoring of the adoption process. It allows the management to track waiting list status of parents and child. The management keeps vigil on adoption status at every tier, checks the pendency if any, and generates alerts for the same. Impact • Developed a strong data base of all parents and children registered/staying in different homes (SAA). • ANMOL has helped in avoiding duplication of applications from PAPs. During the implementation of ANMOL, it was observed that many PAPs were applying in different homes to access child resulting in huge pending list. ANMOL has helped in making a final list of waitlisted parents. • Prior to ANMOL only 29 children were facilitated through various homes for adoption, however, after ANMOL in just one year, it has been observed that 78 children are adopted by eligible parents. • The interesting features of ANMOL are that all the adoption has been made by practicing all the legal formalities and supported by essential documents. All the documents are duly digitised and kept for records. Prior to ANMOL this practice was not followed. • Increase of over 229% in adoption rate over 2011-12 • Special Need Children are also being adopted. • Anmol has attracted international parents. A Girl child with special needs adopted by International parents. • Integration of all homes under Anmol has enabled SARA management to calculate actual number of PAPs applying for adoption. • PAP’s are adopting more girl children as compare to male children. • Improvement in delivery of services has increased number of PAPs. • PAPs who were unwilling to adopt a child due to complexity in the adoption process, are now, in large numbers applying for adoption. Other impacts Accessibility:- Access has become easy, earlier it was difficult and only possible by visiting homes. Resource Utilisation:- Reduced time, manpower and financial requirements. Ease of transaction:- Prior to ANMOL pursuance of case by PAPs and supervision of case by management was very difficult. ANMOL has effectively tackled the same by facilitating automatic message generation, information available on line to know status on waiting list, auto alerts, Mobile Application, IVRS, Hindi Language Support Complaint Redressal System Prior to introducing the web based MIS, there were several drawbacks with regard to addressing complaints/queries, providing first hand information on the scheme & its benefits. Secondly, there was no such powered mechanism to monitor the progress. Thirdly, ensuring timely disposal of the cases was critical. Introduction of web based MIS has enabled expeditious services to the end user. Help Desk is one of the critical panels on the board that has provided convenience to the end user.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
ANMOL is a sustainable model due to innovative use of technology. The technology used for setting up ANMOL is new and adaptable to recent technological environment. It is flexible to the extent that it has the capacity to change, upgrade and is linked with other similar technological service providers. The website follows an extremely cautious approach when it comes to collecting personal details / information about the beneficiary. The information fed in the system is not disclosed to anyone for any purpose. No Cookies can be transferred onto the visitor’s site. The database is maintained in SQL Server 2008 R2., other security hardware and firewalls used. The information is placed in public domain for checking and verification, however, change in data base is exclusively done through the access centres by field functionaries. MS SQL Server 2008 R2 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 is used for effective configuration management, strong authentication and access control, powerful encryption and key management capabilities, and enhanced auditing. SQL Server 2008 has been audited for HIPAA and PCI Data Security Standard Compliance, and SQL Server 2008 Enterprise completed Common Criteria IT security evaluations at the Basic Assurance Level EAL1+ and at Evaluation Assurance Level EAL4+ with compliance The MIS is secured with passwords. Separate passwords were assigned to each project data centres and other centres so that the access in the project domain by any other user may denied. • No Cookies can be transferred onto the visitor’s site. • Other security hardware and firewalls used. • Change in data base is exclusively done through access centre by field functionaries. • MIS is secured with passwords. • Separate passwords assigned to each project data centre Organisation The training and sensitisation of functionaries has helped make the project sustainable. The staff recruited for the data feeding were trained on each of the information of the application format. They were also trained to handle the case with sensitivity. The functionaries were exposed to technological environment and use of ICT. District wise onsite trainings were also organised for sensible and transparent data feeding with accuracy. Financial ANMOL is one of the most viewed web portal and has the potential for agencies and institutions which function for the cause of child welfare and facilitating adoption process. ANMOL is capturing the information on the most valued human resource and fast tracking the adoption process for children in need of parental care. Replicability The initiative is appreciated widely across the country. It can be replicated by any agency or institution functioning for adoption. The Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India has shown its interest in developing a website on the same model.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
ANMOL has been able to produce effective campaigning through using IEC materials like Jingles, Talk shows, Hoardings, Advertisement etc. Some of the key learnings are:- • Stakeholders’ consultation and detailed planning before implementation would be the key for achieving the desired goal. • Use of apt technology will facilitate desired results. • Smart governance makes the system easy and less time consuming. • It builds good understanding among the stakeholders’ • Rigorous and flexible use of technology, continuous monitoring and reporting of inputs will lead to better results. • Team work will lead to effective control and allows for change management. • Shared vision and decentralised planning would develop one vision to make the project efficient. • Concurrent communication and progress meetings will lead to accomplishing the goal. Future Road Map • Ensure cent percent adoptions of children, especially of those children with special needs to eligible and willing families. • Clear long waiting list by adopting scheduled adoption procedure. • Fast track adoption process to ensure adoption before the child gets older. • Provision of generating graphic based reports • Provision of window service alerts for sequential monitoring and sending alerts • Payment gateway solutions for process simplification • Digital Encryption for data authentication

Contact Information

Institution Name:   STATE CHILD PROTECTION SOCIETY
Institution Type:   Other  
Contact Person:   KALPANA SRIVASTAVA
Title:   MEMBER SECRETARY  
Telephone/ Fax:   91-755-2551331
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   kalpana0092@gmail.com  
Address:   MAHILA BHAVAN, JAWAHAR BAL BHAVAN 2ND STOP TULSI NAGAR
Postal Code:   462002
City:   BHOPAL
State/Province:   MADHYA PRADESH
Country:  

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