The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development on Tuesday, 15th November 2022, organized a meeting with the Proprietors/proprietress in the Adentan Municipality at the Fafraha Senior High School to train the heads of Day-Care Centers on Operational Standards for already established and emerging Day-Care Centers or Nursery in the municipality.
The Operational Standard is a tool to provide information and guide to the day-to-day operations of a child-Care Facility. The operational standards are developed to provide clear and consistent expectations for child-care centers as well as encourage purposeful and strategic conversations to support capacity building, professional learning, and continuous service improvement.
The 1992 constitution of Ghana enjoins the government to ensure the survival and development of a child. Article 28 tasks parliament to put in place laws that protect the child, hence promoting their interest and fulfilling their rights.
There are several existing national policies and programs that directly or indirectly have impacts on the welfare of children. The Department of Social Welfare in their training talked about The Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560) under which their main focus was on Sub-part II (Day-Care Centers) sub-section 115 to 120.
Sub-section 115 talks about the application to operate Day-Care Centers thus, the application for a permit to operate from the Department at the Assembly. The application shall be accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed in a by-law of a District Assembly. Any Day-Care Center in operation without a permit granted by a department shall be closed on fourteen days’ notice to the owner or operator by the Department.
Under sub-section 116, the Department shall inspect the premises, accounts, books, and other records of a Day-Care center at least once every six months and shall submit a report of the inspection to the Social Services sub-committee of a District Assembly. If the inspections that the Day-Care Centre is not being managed efficiently in the interest of the children, the Department shall suspend the Permit and the owner shall be ordered to make good any default within a stipulated time. If the owner or operator fails to make good of the stipulated time, the permit shall be canceled.
Sub-section 117 (by-laws and guidelines) states that a District Assembly shall issue such by-laws and guidelines as determined for the operation of Day-Care Centers within the districts.
Sub-section 118 (policy directives). The Ministry for Social Welfare and the Ministry for Education may issue such policy directives as may be necessary for the operation of daycare centers.
Sub-section 119 (Existing Operators) Any persons who owns/operates a day-care center before the commencement of this Act who intends to continue to operate the Day-Care Centre shall apply to the Department for a permit within six months of the commencement of is Act.
It was stated that the offense under this sub-part 120; any persons who operates a day-care without a permit issued by the Department or continues to operate a day-care Centre in contravention of this part or obstructs or hinders any persons conducting an inspection under sub-part commits an offense and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five million or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year or to both and in the case of continuing offense to a further fine not exceeding ¢100,000 for each day on which the offense continues.
A three-member committee was set up by which the Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Daniel Nii-Noi Adumuah inaugurated them into office. The committee members include Mrs. Sylvia Asempa of Liddle Lyceum located at Lakeside, Mr. Charles Adu-Poku of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom located at Nana-Krom and Mrs. Theresa B. Mantey of MamaTess Child Care Centre at Housing Down. This committee coordinates activity in the municipality between the Social Welfare Department, the Day-Care Centers and the Adentan Municipal Assembly and they serve as representatives for the other Day-Cares in the Adentan Municipality.
The Municipal Finance Office encouraged the Day-Care Centers representatives to pay their bills so that the Assembly can use their funds to help the community.
They were advice to operate on the ground floors of their building since they are dealing with kids between the ages of zero and three years, and if they find themselves on the first floor, they were advised to provide barricades for the safety of the children.
SOURCE: ISD, ADENTAN.