Over 60 ‘illegal’ orphanages shut down across the country
Among the closed orphanages were ones which were in operation without a licence from the Social Welfare Department.
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Other orphanages were also shut down after it was found that they were operating below the required standards of social welfare.
Coordinator of the Care Reform Initiative of the Department, Yvonne Norman, told Accra-based Citi FM that more orphanages are expected to fold up in the coming months for not meeting national standards.
“The fact is those homes that have just been closed down are the least you saw. Not all the names were mentioned. With some, they actually wanted to do good but they were misinformed,” she said.
“It is not that they actually set up and harbour children and use them. They ended up taking care of children who actually needed help but just they were using the wrong processes. We have those category of people who actually opened those homes and strictly handled the children.”
According to her, vulnerable children who have been affected by the closure have been relocated to other licensed caregivers.
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Mrs. Norman said those who have families have been reunited with them following the shutdown of some of the orphanages.
“Some of them were operating without the licenses; some were closed down because they were below our national standards in operating residential homes – the conditions in the home were below standards. Some of these have been earmarked for closure. A lot of them (orphans) have been unified with their families, and some have been moved to other homes that have been licensed,” she added.
The Department of Social Welfare is the institution mandated to register and regulate the operation of all orphanages in the country.
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