78 Mary John

Rajagiri Journal of Social Development illnesses and minor ailments, and referral service. Other services under the
Volume 4, Number 1, June 2008 ICDS scheme are preschool education and certain supportive services.
Preschool education is provided to children in the age group of 3-6 years.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN ICDS AND The supportive services include safe drinking water, environmental sanitation,
SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK: A MODEL OF women empowerment and adult literacy.

GOVERNMENT-NON-GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP A team of workers provides the services under the ICDS through
the childcare centre called anganwadi. The team comprises of the
Mary John anganwadi worker (who performs the key role in the delivery of the various
services), the anganwadi helper, the supervisor and the child development
Partnership is a common term used in the era of globalisation where project officer. The medical officer and para medical staff of the primary
the partners get benefit out of the tie-up. There are different forms of health centre provides the health services.
partnerships and different settings wherein partnership operates. Partnership
under the present discussion is the one between an educational institution in The anganwadi centre (AWC), located within the community, is
the non-government sector and the central government sponsored scheme the focal point for the delivery of all the services under the ICDS programme
of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). The partnership was in an integrated manner to children and women. It is run by an nganwadi
experimented with the involvement of the students of the school of social worker who is supported by a helper in the delivery of the services. It functions
work at the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences in providing social service as a centre of the convergence of services for children and women, and
under the ICDS. also as a platform, where groups of women and mothers can come together
with other frontline workers to share views and promote action for women
ICDS Scheme and children.

The ICDS is a scheme introduced by the Government of India for Participation of Schools of Social Work
early childhood care and development. It has had the challenging task of
breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, low learning capacity The ICDS is an excellent social service programme wherein
and mortality among children in India. The expected beneficiaries of the educational institutions can meaningfully participate through the student
scheme have been children up to the age of six years, pregnant and lactating community. The association of the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences with
mothers, and adolescent girls especially from the disadvantaged section of the ICDS started in 1982 when the Middle Level Training Centre and the
the society. Angwanwadi Workers Training Centre were set up at the college for the
training of the various functionaries of the ICDS scheme. Following this, the
The objective of the main services (nutrition and health) under the students of the college pursuing studies in social work have been actively
ICDS is the holistic development of the children below six years. The involved in the ICDS at the grassroots.
supplementary nutritional service under the scheme provides food for healthy
growth of the beneficiaries. The health services of the ICDS include health The students have been adequately oriented to the ICDS scheme
check up, immunisation, identification and treatment of common childhood and its activities before they are actually involved in the activities at the
grassroots. The topic of the ICDS forms part of the theoretical curriculum
of the students of social work in the college. In order to further enhance
their knowledge about the ICDS, a resource person from the ICDS project
Mary John, Head, Middle Level Training Centre, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences,
Kalamassery, Kochi – 683104. Email: [email protected] gives an orientation session to the students as well as faculty members before
Collaboration between ICDS and Schools of Social Work 79 80 Mary John

they are on to the field. After giving a thorough training on the field level FieldWork
activities of the ICDS scheme, students are placed in the community for
participating in the implementation of the activities related to women and From the point of view of professional training in social work, the
children under the guidance of the ICDS personnel. The tasks to be given to partnership with the ICDS has provided the students good opportunities in
the students are clearly defined. This joint venture helps these programmes fieldwork. Fieldwork is an integral part of social work training as it envisages
to be result oriented. field level practice of the theoretical input gained from the classroom. Social
work education, confined to classroom sessions, is grossly incomplete.
Adoption of Anganwadi Placement of students in the community for fieldwork provides them the
setting of a social laboratory where they can apply whatever theoretical
knowledge they have gained. Students placed in the AWC, have got the
The ICDS scheme provides for the adoption of AWCs by non-
opportunity to practise the various methods of social work to develop their
government organisations. The adopting agency is expected to contribute to
professional skills, such as working with individual and group, resource
the programme through improved infrastructure facilities, mobilisation of mobilisation, organisation of community based activities etc.
resources, and innovative programmes. The Rajagiri College of Social
Sciences has adopted AWC No.34 of the Edappally ICDS project in the Working with Individual, Group and Community
vicinity of the college. This has provided the college better scope for getting
the students involved in the programme. The first thing that the college did Students have had good opportunities for working with individuals
after adopting the centre for improving the quality of the services was to in the AWC. They have identified adolescent girls with problems through
procure permanent premises for the centre which had been functioning in a home visits and counselling classes arranged in the project area. In this
rented building. context, they have addressed problems such as school dropout, anti-social
behaviour, drug addiction and alcoholism, depression, suicidal tendency etc.
Apart from the regular activities, the centre organises other Serious cases were referred to the Family Counselling Centre of the Rajagiri
programmes in the community with the help of the social work students College.
placed there. They include observance of special days and festivals, such as
senior citizens’ day, human rights day, Christmas and Onam (the regional With regard to the practice of group work, students placed in the
festival). The centre is utilising the services of the students in conducting AWC have got the opportunity to work with the self-help groups of women
classes for mothers, adolescent girls and senior citizens. This has provided formed for women empowerment under the programme of the Kudumbasree,
the poverty alleviation scheme of the state government of Kerala. Students
the students an excellent opportunity to practise the skills that they have
have been involved in organising the self-help groups, creating awareness
learned in the classroom. The students mobilised materials like toys, picture
among women, identifying income generating activities, constructing biogas
charts, teaching aids etc. to make the centre well equipped. They have also
plants, producing vermin compost etc. which help women to become self
been involved in introducing innovative projects like rainwater harvesting
reliant.
and income generating activities for women (like catering, tailoring etc).
Adoption of the AWC by the college and involvement of the students have Resource Mobilisation
not only helped better delivery of the ICDS services to children and women,
but also transformed it into a community centre facilitating holistic development Although the ICDS as a major scheme of the central government is
of the community. spread throughout the state of Kerala, the scheme has its own limitations
with regard to resources for improving its various activities. So the community
should come forward to make the AWC an effective centre of community
Collaboration between ICDS and Schools of Social Work 81 82 Mary John

service. For organising innovative programmes, resources have to be Another innovative programme that attracted the attention of the
mobilised from the community in addition to what is provided by the public and media was Poothumbikal organised for the pre-school children
government. Students placed in the AWC have got involved in mobilising of the various ICDS projects of the area on the 9th of May 2007 at the
resources, such as funds, materials and human power. This has been a Children’s Park, Ernakulam. The objective of this programme was to en-
good learning experience for them. During the year 2007 the students courage creativity in children and develop the hidden talents in them. The
collected toys from the nearby public schools and donated them to the newly programme was conducted with active participation of the students who are
started AWCs of the Edappally ICDS project. They have also been involved also members of the Rotaract Club.
in setting up library in those centres.
Active participation in such programmes has helped the students
Field Action Programme acquire the skills in organising various awareness programmes in the
community. Students have been involved in organising workshops, seminars
The students have organised field action programmes regularly in and other activities on the occasion of women’s day, nutrition week, breast
collaboration with the nearby ICDS projects. During the year 2006-2007 a feeding week, world AIDS day, day of the disabled, human rights day etc.
two-day residential campaign was organised for girls of the adolescent clubs Exhibitions and rallies have been organised in which banners, placards and
of the Edapally ICDS project under the initiative of the students. About one posters were displayed. Discussions and debates have been initiated on
hundred girls participated in the programme held on 31 July and 1 August burning issues related to women and children like female foeticide, HIV/
2006. Awareness classes related to maintaining healthy body and mind, yoga, AIDS, family counselling, environmental pollution etc.
skill based training, picnic, campfire etc. were part of the programme. It
was a fruitful experience for both the participants and the students. They Other Learning Experiences
reported that they learned a lot from the group living.
Promotion of research in the field of the ICDS has been another
Similarly a kumari sangamam (adolescent girls’ meet) was organised outcome of the association of students with the ICDS. Every year two or
for a group of adolescent girls under the leadership of the students in three students of social work select topics related to women and children
collaboration with the Kalamassery municipality and the Edapally ICDS for their dissertations. They could collect data easily from the AWCs.
project during the last two years. Awareness classes by experts, nutrition Research topics are usually related to various services delivered though the
assessment, group activities and assessment of adolescent club performance ICDS scheme, job responsibility and job satisfaction of various functionaries
were part of the programme. According to the participants it was a of the ICDS, situation analysis of the adolescent girls, senior citizens etc.
memorable event in their life.
Another learning experience of the students placed with the ICDS
Programmes have been organised by the students for the senior for fieldwork has been in documentation. Students have prepared audio and
citizens on the first of October consecutively for three years under the aus- video documentaries in the regional language for broadcast and telecast
pices of the ICDS project. The objective of this programme has been to under the guidance of the faculty. There is scope for expanding the student
throw light on the various issues of ageing, to create awareness on how to participation in documentation for the preparation of newsletters, children’s
age gracefully and to identify areas wherein intervention of social work magazines and media coverage on special programmes of the ICDS.
colleges are needed. Awareness classes, open discussions, games, oath tak-
ing of both the senior citizens and the younger generation, and gift distribu- Benefits of the Partnership
tion were part of the programme.
The partnership between the students of the social work college
and the ICDS functionaries was proved to be mutually benefiting. The
Collaboration between ICDS and Schools of Social Work 83 84 Mary John

experiment has generated awareness among the students about the national Conclusion
level child welfare programme and its functioning. It has given the students
an opportunity to practise the theories they have learned and also to gain The AWCs and schools of social work are ‘mutual benefit
through their own observation an insight into the functioning of the ICDS institutions’. AWCs are an excellent platform for social work students to
programme at the grassroots level. Their association with the ICDS has apply their theoretical knowledge and develop their professional skills and
helped the students refine their skills in conducting seminars, organising schools of social work have the resources to help the AWCs function more
meetings and taking classes for various sections of the community. It has effectively. So the schools of social work and AWCs should mutually
also helped them develop skills in mobilising community resources required collaborate and co-operate in order to make the best use of the wide spectrum
for organising innovative programmes. of activities available under the wings of the ICDS and social work institutions.
This calls for awareness on the part of the government and educational
The partnership has been beneficial to the ICDS programme in so institutions - the authorities, teachers and students - as well as the desire in
far as the professional support provided by the college has contributed to the them to participate in this joint venture. It is important that the focus of the
improvement in the quality of the services of the AWCs. It has helped the partnership is on a mutually beneficial relationship. Effective partnership
ICDS programme elicit better community participation for its sustainability. will find ways and means to meet challenging tasks and conflicting situations.
It has also been helpful to initiate innovative activities in the implementation There is enough scope for the involvement of medical colleges in improving
of the programme. The research studies and documentation undertaken by the quality of the health services provided through the AWCs. The long-
the students have also benefited the scheme. term sustainability of the ICDS projects depends greatly on community
participation, and the educational institutions especially the schools of social
Experience of Vimala College work can play an important role to ensure better results from the scheme.

Beside the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, there are other

educational institutions of social work in Kerala that are engaged in the
partnership with the ICDS. For instance, the Vimala College, Trissur has
come up with innovative practices in carrying on the partnership. The students
of social work in Vimala College are regularly placed with various ICDS
projects for their concurrent field level training. They organise different
activities for AWCs, such as the adolescents’ clubs, awareness classes,
health check-ups etc. The special activities in which the students have been
involved include preparation of the children’s story book called Kaliveedu,
research studies on issues related to children and adolescents, awareness
programme on child rights, demonstration on preparing nutritious food,
competitions for children, conducting mothers’ meetings and programmes
for the elderly, and mobilisation of additional resources for improving the
functioning of the AWCs. A rural camp of the students with the active
support of the ICDS project was organised, which reflected a unique form
of partnership with mutual benefit. Their innovative project titled Thanal
conducted in collaboration with Ollukkara Block Panchayath for the welfare
of the senior citizens needs special mention.