Social Welfare advises Daycare centres to accept children with disabilities

Mr Joseph Kojo Attigah, Deputy Director at the Department of Social Welfare has called on caregivers in various Day care centres to accept and care for children with disabilities in their various centres.

He said: “I wish to encourage every one of you to take the courses you have learnt here seriously especially how to care and support persons with disability,”

Mr Attigah addressing graduand care givers at a ceremony said refusal by Day care centres to admit children with disabilities was a criminal offence punishable by law as spelt out in the Disability Act

In an interview with the GNA, Mr Attigah explained that the Department of Social Welfare worked in collaboration with Day Care Centres to provide equal opportunities and support to children in their communities to access quality childhood development care, good health care and social protection.

He said due to urbanisation and migration to the cities, there was the need to send children for care and protection while their parents were away for work, hence the need for the establishment of day care centres.

“The Children’s Act, (Act 560 of 1998) empowers the Department of Social Welfare to inspect the proposed Day Care Centres and if it meets the required standards, it shall approve the application and grant a permit upon payment of the fee for the permit prescribed in a bye-law”

Mr Attigah said Section 115 of the Children’s Act indicates that the application for a permit to operate a Day Care Centre shall be submitted by the applicant to the Department of Social Welfare