Family Service Agency - Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore
Brief History:
Family Service Agency a project of Institute of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya was started on June 27, 1966 with the aim of overall wellbeing of the family and strengthening individuals, families and communities to their full development.
The activities were mainly comprised of counselling. Later financial support, vocational guidance and medical referrals were taken up. The number of clientele had increased due to the foreign funding agencies through Action Aid, Catholic Near East Welfare Association (C.N.E.W.A USA), Espoir et Parrainage Belgium, School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND Japan) and other Indian sponsors. Later it was found that a number of other N.G.O’s sprung up in Mangalore which were also offering child/family sponsorship, thus duplicating our services. A periodic evaluation of the services along with the withdrawal of the funding of agencies, the focus was shifted from financial aid to counselling and community building so as to enable the families to be self dependant and self reliant.
The number of clientele declined who came to the agency seeking financial support; however there was a tremendous increase in referrals for scholastic, emotional problems and dropouts. The cry for help came from teachers from schools and institutions to the agency to extend our services which have been presently our focus of work.
Some of the etiological factors identified during our assessment were physical, emotional, sexual abuse, unhealthy parenting, marital discord, divorce and substance abuse of parents, migration, lack of awareness among the parents and teachers. Various problems related to Family, children, adolescents, psychological problems, geriatric problems, substance abuse, internet addictions etc are handled.
Awareness programmes, health camps, street plays, workshops and training programme are conducted in the communities for women & youths, colleges/ Schools for teachers & students.
Home visits have revealed that there is lot of substance abuse in the families and women are victimised. They have either lost their husbands due to the heavy consumption of alcohol/other drugs. They are harassed by the addicted husbands/Children/other members of the family.
There is a dire need of intervention to reach out to the needy adolescents, youth and women who are the victims of these present social epidemics (Specially Substance abuse).
Hence the need has been to strengthen the families through Self Help Groups, Neighbourhood groups, formation of Neighbourhood committees, Awareness programmes and counselling.
Objectives
- To promote and enhance family relationships.
- To provide preventive, promotive and rehabilitative services to women and children who are the victims of atrocities like dowry, exploitation, marital disharmony,family disputes due to alcoholic and mental illness.
- To provide counselling for those with emotional and psychological problems.
- To help the economically backward families to attain self reliance.
- To act as facilitators in organizing developmental activities in the community through neighbourhood groups, neighbourhood committees Mahila Mandals, Self
- Help Groups (SHG), Youth groups , Panchayats and local leaders.
- To help the individuals in their overall development through the administration of Psychological tests.
Activities:
- Family Visits.
- Therapeutic Counselling (Individual and Group)
- Administration of Psychological tests.
- Career guidance
- School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya utilise our services as resource persons for the programmes, supervision of field work students, so do the other N.G.O’s and G.O’s.
- Along with Family our focus includes wellbeing of Youth and Adolescent towards the sustainable development.
- Formation of Neighbourhood committees to work collectively for the sustainable development of the neighbourhood. Sensitising the youth and adolescents through street plays, group work and workshops on the following issues
- Family life education (Growth and transition)
- Substance use disorders
- Gender sensitisation
- Mental and behavioural disorders
- Personality development and life skills
- Self harm and suicides
- Social media
- Adolescents health, Reproductive and Sexual health
- Aptitude tests/ Career guidance / Vocational guidance
- Occupational health to promote and maintain physical mental and social well being of workers in all occupations.
- Life enhancement
- Family Service Agency & Family Counselling Centre-2017-2018
- Family Service Agency & Family Counselling Centre from 2016- 2021
