The Department of Social Welfare (DSW) in the Eastern Region has put on hold licensing of orphanages to streamline operations of the already existing ones to ensure they meet the required operational standards.
Already two of the orphanages in the region have been closed down and the children sent to other homes for the meantime whiles efforts are being made to trace their families to re-unite them.
Mr Harrison Tete-Donkor, the Regional Director of DSW, said monitoring of such facilities was ongoing and that more of the facilities would be closed down as soon as investigations are completed.
This was made known at the Regional Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Co-ordinating Committee Meeting held at Koforidua to discuss the welfare of vulnerable children and how best to implement policies regarding their protection.
Reports on the closed facilities showed that they were not child care and protection friendly due to their location or clear cut mission of the owners which in all cases complicated the children�s welfare.
He said closing down of such facilities entailed profiling all the children in the home and ensuring that they were sent to better places or re-united with their parents so that their welfare is not jeopardised.
Out of the 21 operating orphanages or residential homes in the region, only one has license from the DSW to operate and members of the committee urged the department to ensure that those operating under their criteria were licensed whiles those below were closed down without any delay for the safety of the children.
Mr Anthony Dontoh, the Regional Director of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection, said since the region had no shelter facility, the private orphaned homes must be strengthened to meet the criteria.
He said all distressed children found by DOVSSU, Anti-Human Trafficking and his outfit were taken to such homes.
That, he said, was an essential service being provided by the orphanages and therefore the committee should look at how to support those facilities to meet the operating standards for the benefit of such children.
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