INTRODUCTION
The Child Development Department is one of the programme Departments of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Department is to provide an enabling environment that will ensure the maximum and holistic development of the Nigerian child through well articulated policies, projects and programmes that would enhance the quality of his/her life and enable him/her contribute towards national development.
MANDATE
The Department is the national mechanism established to handle all matters relating to the total well being and development of the Nigerian Child. It is to give visibility to children, coordinate activities, monitor progress and promote a comprehensive and integrated agenda for the realization of children’s rights. The child in this regard refers to any person below 18 years, in line with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which the `Child Right’s Act, 2003 upholds.
STRUCTURE
The Department is strategically structured into two divisions namely: Promotion, Protection and Participation (PnP) and Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). The various interventions of the department are grouped under four (4) pillars of Child Rights viz; Survival, Development, Protection and Participation.
PROMOTION AND PARTICIPATION (PnP) DIVISION
The Promotion and Participation division has the responsibility for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, taking into account the best interest of the child and its right to protection from discrimination and enhancing the child’s ability to participate in decision-making processes. The division has two branches namely: Promotion & Participation and Child Survival, Care & Social Services, each with its own areas of interventions.
ORPHANS AND VULNRABLE CHILDREN (OVC) DIVISION
The mandate of the Division is to coordinate, facilitate, monitor and evaluate multi-sectoral National response to OVC phenomenon. It also has the responsibility to coordinate care and support services for OVC, building capacities of stakeholders including families, Communities, Civil Society Organizations to improve welfare and wellbeing as well as protect vulnerable children using integrated approach.
