(1) The District Child Protection Unit shall perform following functions, namely:
(i) maintain report of quarterly information sent by the Board about children in conflict with law produced before the Board and the quarterly report sent by the Committee;
(ii) arrange for individual or group counselling and community service for children;
(iii) conduct follow up of the individual care plan prepared on the direction of the Children's Court for children in the age group of sixteen to eighteen years found to be in conflict with law for committing heinous offence;
(iv) conduct review of the child placed in the place of safety every year and forward the report to the Children's Court;
(v) maintain a list of persons who can be engaged as monitoring authorities and send the list of such persons to the Children's Court along with bi-annual updates;
(vi) maintain record of run- away children from Child Care Institutions;
(vii) identify families at risk and children in need of care and protection;
(viii) assess the number of children in difficult circumstances and create District-specific databases to monitor trends and patterns of children in difficult circumstances;
(ix) periodic and regular mapping of all child related services at district for creating a resource directory and making the information available to the Committees and Boards from time to time;
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(x) facilitate the implementation of non-institutional programmes including sponsorship, foster care and after care as per the orders of the Board or the Committee or the Children's Court;
(xi) facilitate transfer of children at all levels for their restoration to their families;
(xii) ensure inter-departmental coordination and liaise with the relevant departments of the Government and Union territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society of the Union Territory and other District Child Protection Units in the Union Territory;
(xiii) network and coordinate with civil society organisations working under the Act;
(xiv) inquire into, seek reports and take action in cases of death or suicide in child care institutions and under other institutional care and submit the reports to the Union Territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society;
(xv) look into the complaints and suggestions of the children as contained in the children's suggestion box and take appropriate action;
(xvi) be represented on the Management Committees within the Child Care Institutions;
(xvii) maintain a District level database of missing children in institutional care and uploading the same on designated portal and of children availing the facility of Open Shelter and of children placed in foster care;
(xviii) maintain a database of child care institutions, specialised adoption agencies, open shelter, fit persons and fit facilities, registered foster parents, after care organisations and institutions, etc. at the district level and forward the same to the Boards, the Committees, the Children's Courts and the Union Territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society, as the case may be;
(xix) maintain a database of medical and counselling centres, de-addiction centres, hospitals, open schools, education facilities, apprenticeship and vocational training programmes and centres, recreational facilities such as performing arts, fine arts and facilities for children with special needs and other such facilities at the District level and forward the same to the Boards, the Committees, the Children's Courts and the Union territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society;
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(xx) maintain a database of special educators, mental health experts, translators, interpreters, counsellors, psychologists or psycho-social workers or other experts who have experience of working with children in difficult circumstances at the District level and forward the same to the Boards and the Committees and the Children's Court and the Union Territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society;
(xxi) generate awareness and organise and conduct programmes for the implementation of the Act including training and capacity building of stakeholders under the Act;
(xxii) organise quarterly meeting with all stakeholders at district level to review the progress and implementation of the Act;
(xxiii) submit a monthly report to the Union Territory of Puducherry Child Protection Society;
(xxiv) notify the Government about a vacancy in the Board or the Committee six months before such vacancy arises;
(xxv) review reports submitted by Inspection Committees and resolve the issues raised through coordination among the stakeholders;
(xxvi) provide secretarial staff to the Committees and the Boards;
(xxvii) all other functions necessary for effective implementation of the Act including liaising with community and corporates for improving the functioning of Child Care Institutions.
(2) The District Child Protection Officer shall be the Nodal Officer in the District for the implementation of the Act and the rules.