Standardization of a Participatory Questionnaire to Assess the (Fulfilment of) Needs of Children in Care (QANCC) In India

Abstract

India has approximately 23 million children without parental care, who need alternative forms of care (MOSPI, 2018). Udayan Care, an NGO, designed an innovative group care model for children and youth in need of care and protection, implementing the indigenously developed LIFE (Living in Family Environment) strategy in 17 Udayan Ghars. (Sunshine Homes). With child participation as a core pillar, Udayan Care developed a Questionnaire to Assess the Needs of Children in Care (QANCC) in 2011, which is to be filled up by children annually, as a longitudinal study. The tool is conceived to ascertain whether children in the Ghars perceived if their rights were being fulfilled and that their needs were being addressed. With “meaningful participation” of children stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the objective was to develop an evidence-based tool to assess the views of children on the services meted out to them, from their standpoint, and inform actual care practices annually. The self-assessment tool consists of questions, assessing the four dimensions of basic/fundamental, emotional, educational, and interpersonal needs, on a four-point Likert rating scale. A convenient purposive sampling is done on children, aged 10 to 18 years, who receive care and protection at the Ghars, and have resided there for a minimum of 6 months. This paper has two objectives, where at one end, the deductions of the previous years’ data are made (2011–12 to 2016–17) with demarcating the differences with year 2018–19 data and at the second level, there is an update on the efforts made to establish the reliability and validity of the tool and create a standardized tool that can be implemented by other child care organizations in India. The paper illustrates how listening to direct voices of children and incorporating their inputs into actual care practice, can go a long way in improving the holistic wellness of children living in an alternative care setting. The results indicate that all needs of the majority of the children in Udayan Ghars.

Appendices

Appendix 1

KMO and Bartlett's Test

Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy		0.503
Bartlett's Test of Sphericity	Approx. Chi-Square	1988.757
	Df	1225
	Sig	0.000

1. Source: Generated from primary data collected using QANCC (2018–19)

Appendix 2

Principal Component Analysis of the QANCC Scale

Question No./Questions Statements	Initial	Extraction
Q.6 (My home environment is conducive enough for a sound sleep)	1	0.287
Q. 5 (I feel safe and secure at home)	1	0.132
Q.22F (I share my concerns/feelings/problems with)	1	0.22
Q.24 (I feel confident in the outside world)	1	0.267
Q.5A (I feel safe and secure at home)	1	0.138
Q.2A (I take responsibility in keeping my home clean)	1	0.236
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis

1. Source: Generated from primary data collected using QANCC (2018–19)

Appendix 3

Descriptive Statistics Across Four Needs

Needs Group	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Variance
Basic needs	96	3.7052	0.24979	0.062
Educational needs	96	3.3083	0.47499	0.226
Interpersonal needs	96	3.3051	0.38813	0.151
Emotional needs	96	3.0331	0.29724	0.088

1. Source: Generated from primary data collected using QANCC (2018–19)

Appendix 4

Cronbach’s Alpha for Reliability Testing of the QANCC

Question No	Scale Mean if Item Deleted	Scale Variance if Item Deleted	Corrected Item-Total Correlation	Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted
Q1C	158.104	144.915	0.042	0.778
Q2	158.031	144.473	0.074	0.778
Q5	157.75	145.811	0.002	0.778
Q22D	158.844	143.017	0.076	0.780
Q23	158.229	142.936	0.102	0.778
Q4E	158.781	143.331	0.065	0.780
Q4G	159.833	145.93	-0.047	0.787
Q5A	158.333	144.098	0.014	0.784
Q28	158.302	144.634	0.009	0.783

1. Source: Generated from primary data collected using QANCC (2018–19)

Appendix 5

Question Statements for Appendix 4

Question No	Questions in Statements
Q1C	I have enough resources to do things I want and live comfortably at home, like, play things and recreational materials?
Q2	I am supported for any additional needs I have in my studies, health and development?
Q5	I feel safe and secure at home?
Q22D	I share my concerns/feelings/problem with the concerned social worker/ mental health professional?
Q23	I feel safe in my neighborhood?
Q4E	If I feel threatened or experience abuse, I reach out for help to concerned Mental Health Professionals?
Q4G	If I feel threatened or experience abuse, I reach out for help to any other?
Q5A	I am supported to overcome any dependence I have to harmful substances and behaviors [alcohol, tobacco, drugs, self-harm, vandalism etc.]?
Q28	I feel comfortable telling others that I am from a child care home [Udayan Ghar]?

1. Source: QANCC (2018–19)

Appendix 6

Mean Scores of Overall Needs by Age Groups

Age of child	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2018–19
Mean Score- 10 years	3.4	3.3	3.0	3.3	3.3	3.25
Mean Score- 11 years	3.3	3.4	3.1	3.1	3.3	3.20
Mean Score- 12 years	3.4	3.3	3.0	3.1	3.3	3.08
Mean Score- 13 years	3.6	3.1	3.1	3.1	3.2	3.27
Mean Score- 14 years	3.5	3.1	3.0	3.2	3.3	3.21
Mean Score- 15 years	3.5	2.8	3.1	3.1	3.3	3.25
Mean Score- 16 years	3.6	3.4	3.1	3.1	3.1	3.27
Mean Score- 17 years	3.5	3.3	3.0	3.0	3.3	3.25
Mean Score- 18 years	3.5	3.1	3.3	3.0	3.3	3.24

1. Source: Generated from primary data collected using QANCC (2012–19)