Functions Of National Council for Children's Services

This article focuses on the National Council for Children’s Service (NCCS) functions. It is a semi-autonomous government agency under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, State Department for Social Security and Protection.

NCCS was established under section 41 of the Children Act 2022 to regulate, coordinate and oversight children’s services. The agency’s head office is located on the 4th floor of Social Security House Block C along Bishop Road in Nairobi.

Functions Of the National Council for Children’s Services

1. It regulates, coordinates, and oversights children’s services in Kenya.

2. It is the central authority for the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoptions that prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children. The convention also works to ensure that intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of children.

3. It facilitates, monitors and evaluates the enforcement of the principles of international law and treaty instruments binding on Kenya in respect of matters relating to children.

4. The agency collaborates with relevant state and non-state agencies to monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of all social programmes established in the interests of children.

5. It develops policies and codes of conduct regulating good practices relating to child protection and child welfare.

6. It monitors and evaluates the implementation of public education programs on the rights and welfare of children.

7. It advises on technical and support services to state and non-state agencies participating in child welfare programmes.

8. It formulates, approves, evaluates and monitors the full implementation of Kenya’s international and regional obligations relating to children and supports the formulation of appropriate reports.

9. It formulates, approves, evaluates and monitors the implementation of policies to regulate family empowerment and social security that are designed to alleviate the hardships which impair the social welfare of children.

10. It regulates, registers, approves, evaluates and monitors the implementation of child welfare programmes proposed by charitable children’s institutions by the Children’s Act.

11. The agency advises the Cabinet Secretary of Labour and Social Protection on the establishment of children’s rescue centres or the designation of children’s institutions to operate as children’s rescue centres.

12. It formulates, approves, evaluates and monitors the implementation of programmes to create public awareness in all matters relating to the rights and welfare of children.

13. It establishes panels of persons from whom guardians ad litem appointed by the court in matters relating to children including adoption regulated under the Children’s Act.

14. It maintains and updates a register of guardians ad litem.

15. It establishes, regulates and manages the activities of County Children Advisory Committees to advise on matters relating to the rights, welfare and protection of children.

16. It promotes, carries out, and disseminates research relating to the welfare and protection of children matters.

17. It establishes, maintains and updates a database of children in Kenya.

18. The agency advises the Cabinet Secretary of Labour and Social Protection on matters relating to adoption practice and procedure.

19. It provides professional and technical advice and support services to licensed adoption agencies on matters relating to adoption and to individuals who intend to undertake domestic and intercountry adoption.

20. It receives records and reports from Charitable Children Institutions, adoption societies, parents and guardians, authorised officers and other relevant persons’ particulars of children available for adoption.

21. It establishes, maintains and updates a register of children free for adoption and prospective adoptive parents.

22. It certifies and declares children free for adoption.

23. It establishes, maintains and updates a database of adopted children in consultation with the Registrar.

24. It promotes cooperation between state agencies, local and non-state agencies concerned with matters relating to adoption with central adoption authorities in other countries including tracing and repatriation of children in need of care and protection.

25. It reviews and makes recommendations of fees chargeable by adoption societies for the processing of adoption applications. This includes fees chargeable for registration and licensing of adoption societies

26. The agency also monitors, prepares and submits annual reports on matters relating to the adoption to the Cabinet Secretary.