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Management of Support Services, Institutions and Programmes for Children, Youth and Elderly – Class 12 Home Science Chapter 7 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 12Home ScienceChapter 7NCERT book: Human Ecology and Family Sciences Part I - Home Science Class 12

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 7 of the NCERT Class 12 Home Science book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 7: Management of Support Services, Institutions and Programmes for Children, Youth and Elderly

Introduction

The family is the basic unit of society, and one of its chief functions is to look after the needs of its members. No family can provide every specialised service, though. Children need formal education, and everyone needs health care. Communities therefore create support services such as schools, hospitals, universities, recreation centres and training centres. Many Indian families cannot meet even basic needs, mostly because they lack financial resources. Some children, youth and elderly are also separated from their families and left to cope on their own. When this happens, the state and society must step in. They do this by setting up institutions and programmes, and by supporting the private and NGO sectors. Some programmes meet specific needs; others take a holistic approach, based on the philosophy that all of a person's needs should be met together for optimal impact.

Key Concepts

Data on need. The chapter's box notes that:

  • India has an estimated third of the world's poor.
  • 29.5 per cent of the population was below the poverty line in 2011-12, according to the Planning Commission.
  • Less than 30 per cent of people have adequate sanitation.
  • Discrimination against girls and women is pervasive.

    • Vulnerable groups. "Vulnerable" refers to persons or groups who are more likely to be affected by adverse circumstances, and on whom those circumstances have a more harmful impact. A person whose needs are not met in daily life becomes vulnerable.

    Why children are vulnerable

  • Childhood is a period of rapid development in all domains, and development in one area influences all the others. Needs for food, shelter, health care, love, nurturance and stimulation must be met holistically, and adverse experiences have lasting effects.
  • The book's data: nearly two-thirds of under-fives have moderate or severe malnutrition; about 3 million children live on the streets; only one in three preschoolers is in an early learning programme; a little over one-third of those who join Standard I reach Standard VIII; and 17 million children work, or 44 million by the World Bank's estimate.

    • The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 is India's first legal framework for juvenile justice. It deals with two groups:

  • children "in conflict with law", also called juvenile delinquents
  • children "in need of care and protection"

    • It complies with the Child Rights Convention. Children in need of care and protection include abandoned, street, runaway and missing children; those with unfit guardians; abused, exploited or trafficked children; and victims of conflict or natural calamity.

    Programmes for children

  • ICDS is the world's largest early childhood programme, for children below six. It offers health, nutrition and hygiene education to mothers; non-formal preschool education for 3-6 year olds; supplementary feeding for children and for pregnant and nursing mothers; growth monitoring; and immunisation and vitamin A. It covers over 41 million children through the anganwadi.
  • SOS Children's Villages is an NGO that pioneered a family approach to long-term care of orphaned and abandoned children. Each home has a "mother" who looks after 10-15 children. India's first SOS village was set up in 1964; about 6000 children now live in 40 villages.
  • Children's Homes are run by the government for children aged 3-18 in state custody. There are three kinds:

    • - Observation Homes, for a temporary stay while parents are traced

    - Special Homes, for juveniles under 18 found guilty of violating the law

    - Juvenile or Children's Homes, for children whose families are untraceable, unfit, dead or unwilling. These provide room, board, education and vocational training, mostly with NGOs.

  • Adoption has moved from within-family custom to an institutionalised, legal process. On the Supreme Court's advice, the government set up the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) to issue guidelines.

    • Why youth are vulnerable

  • The National Youth Policy 2014 defines youth as 15-29 years; those aged 13-19 are adolescents.
  • Youth face biological changes that affect well-being and identity, and preparation for adult roles such as earning a livelihood and marriage. Peer pressure and competition cause stress, and some turn to substance abuse. Many lack knowledge about sexual and reproductive health.
  • Especially vulnerable youth include rural and tribal youth, out-of-school youth, female adolescents, youth with disabilities, and victims of trafficking, orphans and street children.

    • Youth programmes

  • The National Service Scheme (NSS) involves college students in social service: building roads and school buildings, tree plantation, sanitation, immunisation and vocational training.
  • The National Service Volunteer Scheme engages graduates full-time for one or two years, mainly through Nehru Yuva Kendras, which also serve non-student rural youth through literacy, youth clubs, sports and leadership camps.
  • Government also supports adventure activities, Scouts and Guides, and national integration visits.
  • Through the Commonwealth Youth Programme, regional centres are located in India, Zambia and Guyana; the Asia Pacific Regional Centre is at Chandigarh.

    • Why the elderly are vulnerable

  • In India, senior citizens are people aged 60 and above; many other countries use 65.
  • Life expectancy rose from about 29 years in 1947 to 69.3 for females and 65.8 for males in 2009-13. India has the second largest number of senior citizens in the world after China.
  • The special features of India's elderly population: 80 per cent live in rural areas; the elderly population is becoming more female (feminisation); the number of the older-old (above 80) is rising; and 30 per cent are below the poverty line.
  • The elderly face decreased physiological reserves and conditions such as cataracts, deafness and arthritis. They may feel loneliness and financial dependence, and city life (nuclear families, limited space, long working hours) weakens family support.
  • The book also stresses that many elderly people live fulfilling lives and remain economically active, so they should be recognised as a human resource. The government adopted the National Policy for Older Persons in 1999.

    • Programmes for the elderly include:

  • old age homes, respite and continuous care homes
  • multi-service centres, mobile Medicare units and dementia day care
  • help-lines, counselling and caregiver training
  • the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), for destitute people above 65

    • Preparing for a career. The role combines planner, manager, evaluator and sometimes entrepreneur. The book names two skill sets:

  • People skills, for dealing with the community (participatory planning builds ownership), the private sector (its social responsibility), government officials (funding and legal requirements), and people within the organisation (cordial relations).
  • Administrative skills, for handling finances, recruiting staff, renting space, buying equipment and maintaining records and stocks.

    • Starting a new organisation also means choosing a location, a target group, services, finances and staff; registering; and improving the programme through evaluation. Above all, it needs a vision. Useful qualifications are an undergraduate degree in Home Science (Family and Community Sciences), Social Work or another social science, and IGNOU's Certificate Programme in NGO Management or Diploma in Youth Development Work.

    Activities & Case Examples

  • Activity 1: Groups list 5-8 needs each of children, youth and the elderly.
  • Activity 3: One group discusses the situation of the elderly in the neighbourhood; the other discusses how the elderly can contribute.
  • Practical 1: Script and enact a 15-minute role-play about a large joint family, then discuss the place of the elderly in it.
  • Practical 2: Make an illustrated booklet of four-line poems on the environment, birds or animals to promote young children's language.

    • Career Paths

    The career avenues listed are:

  • manager in an established institution or programme
  • functionary at any level or cadre
  • researcher who consults on, assesses or evaluates programmes and institutions
  • founder of one's own institution for any target group

    • Board Exam Focus

    The review questions are:

  • Why are children, youth and elderly vulnerable?
  • Which programmes suit youth?
  • What are the concerns about the elderly?
  • Describe two programmes each for children, youth and elderly.
  • What advice would you give someone setting up an institution?
  • What knowledge and skills are needed for this career?

    • Key Terms

  • Vulnerable (asurakshit / bhedya)
  • Difficult circumstances (kathin paristhitiyan)
  • Juvenile in conflict with law (kanoon se sangharshrat kishore)
  • Care and protection (dekhbhal evam sanrakshan)
  • Observation home (avlokan grih)
  • Adoption (god lena / dattak grahan)
  • Youth (yuva)
  • Senior citizen (varishth nagrik)
  • Feminisation of ageing (vriddhavastha ka streekaran)
  • Respite care (vishram dekhbhal)
  • People skills (manav sambandh kaushal)
  • Administrative skills (prashasnik kaushal)
  • Participatory planning (sahbhagi niyojan)
  • Old age pension (vriddhavastha pension)

    • Common Mistakes

  • Using 65 as India's senior citizen age. In India it is 60 and above; NOAPS eligibility, however, is above 65.
  • Mixing up youth (15-29, National Youth Policy 2014) with adolescents (13-19).
  • Confusing Special Homes (for juveniles found guilty) with Observation Homes (a temporary stay during investigation).
  • Describing the elderly only as a burden. The chapter asks us to see them as a human resource.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Vulnerable groups are those more likely to be affected by adverse circumstances, and harmed more by them. Children, youth and the elderly are vulnerable when their needs are not met, so the state and society provide institutions and programmes.
    • ✓The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 covers children 'in conflict with law' and those 'in need of care and protection'. Services include ICDS (over 41 million children via anganwadis), SOS Children's Villages (first set up in India in 1964), three types of Children's Homes, and adoption guided by CARA.
    • ✓Youth (15-29 years, National Youth Policy 2014) face identity, livelihood, peer-pressure, substance-abuse and reproductive-health challenges. The programmes include NSS, the National Service Volunteer Scheme through Nehru Yuva Kendras, adventure promotion, Scouts and Guides, national integration and the Commonwealth Youth Programme.
    • ✓Senior citizens in India are 60+. Most (80%) are rural, 30% are below the poverty line, and the population is becoming more female and older-old. The National Policy for Older Persons (1999), old age homes, respite care, mobile Medicare, help-lines and NOAPS address their needs.
    • ✓Managing these institutions needs people skills (community, private sector, government, staff), administrative skills (finance, recruitment, records) and a vision. Careers include manager, functionary, researcher/evaluator and founder of one's own institution.

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Begin with Activity 1: three groups list the needs of children, youth and elderly, then compare which unmet needs make each group vulnerable.
    • →Present the poverty and child data boxes as a quick 'guess the number' quiz to make the scale of need memorable.
    • →Create a sorting game with cards describing situations (a runaway child, a juvenile found guilty, a child whose parents cannot be traced) and match each to Observation, Special or Children's Home.
    • →Map youth programmes on a chart with columns for target group (students, graduates, rural non-students) and activity type.
    • →Use the life-expectancy change (29 years in 1947 to 65.8/69.3 in 2009-13) to discuss why elderly services are growing.
    • →Run Practical 1's joint-family role-play and debrief on the attitudes of younger members towards grandparents.
    • →Ask students to design a mini proposal for an institution for one vulnerable group, covering location, services, funding, staff and community participation.
    • →Invite an NGO worker or visit a local old age home or children's home (with permission) to connect theory with practice.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Explain why children, youth and elderly are considered vulnerable, with supporting facts from the chapter.
    2. Describe the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 and the three types of Children's Homes.
    3. Describe two programmes each for children, youth and elderly.
    4. Explain the people skills and administrative skills needed to manage an institution or programme.
    5. Advise a person planning to set up an institution for a vulnerable group, listing the key aspects to consider.

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Human Ecology and Family Sciences Part I - Home Science Class 12

    1. 1. Work, Livelihood and Career
    2. 2. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics
    3. 3. Public Nutrition and Health
    4. 4. Food Processing and Technology
    5. 5. Food Quality and Food Safety
    6. 6. Early Childhood Care and Education
    7. 7. Management of Support Services, Institutions and Programmes for Children, Youth and Elderly