Child's Affairs

The civilizational progress of any society is measured by its care for children. Therefore, the Ministry has sought to put childhood at the heart of its concern and potentials in order to prepare the future generation and to promote children to create persons who are fully aware of their developmental role in community service.

So, conducting many activities, programs and forums for the childhood sector in different parts of the Sultanate that are affiliated with the Ministry is considered among the highest priorities that aim at developing and enhancing children’s innovations and help them gain openness to the world.
This was what the Children’s Affairs Directorate sought to achieve through setting the principles and standards relating to the establishment and modernization of children institutions to guarantee the high quality of the services provided, planning for programs, activities and enterprises relating to children’s development and culture in the society, supervise its implementation, follow up it, and take care of the children who need all aspects of care.

 

Objectives

1. Promote the services provided to Omani children and develop the situations of local and Arab children
2. Develop the child’s sensory, mental, social, health and educational abilities
3. Achieve security and social stability for children through guaranteeing their rights and meeting their needs
4. Document the information and data relating to children sector in the Sultanate
5. Face the challenges of economic globalization and its impacts on the issues of children and teenagers.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

October 1st The Sultanate joined the Convention on the Rights of the Child in December 9th, 1996 in pursuant with the Royal Decree No. 54/96 which entered into effect on January 8th, 1997. Also, the Sultanate joined the two optional protocols to the Convention on September 17th, 2004 in pursuant with the Royal Decree No. 41/2004. In this regard, a committee was formed to follow up the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Ministerial Decision No. 9/2001 based on the Royal Decree No. 54/96. The committee was reformed in accordance with the Ministerial Decision No. 56/2009 and the new Ministerial Decision No. (1207/2014) where it contained 24 members representing different governmental authorities, educational institutions and civil society institutions as well as representatives from the Disabled Children Care Associations and Association of Early Intervention for Children with Disability. It is worth mentioning that some of the Sultanate’s reservations on the Convention on the Rights of the Child were withdrawn according to the Royal Decree No. 86/2011.

Sub-committees

Programs and Media Committee

• Programs and media committee.
• Reports and database committee.
• Law and Legislations implementation follow-up committee.

Responsibilities of the Committee:

1. Follow up the implementation of Convention on the Rights of the Child
2. Prepare national reports that mirror the reality of childhood in the Sultanate
3. Spread awareness among all the groups of the society with regard to the contents of the Convention, make proposals to activate the principles of the Convention and participate in setting and implementing the childhood related programs
4. Set mechanisms and programs required for all children comprehensive protection report
5. Study the recommendations and remarks of the International Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in coordination with the competent authorities
6. Make proposals related to children-related cultural, educational and media programs as to contribute to their development and progress
7. Study and analyze the Arab and international documents concerned with the rights of the child

Divisions of the department

Division of childhood programs

1. Plan the programs, activities and enterprises relating to developing the children’s culture in the society and oversee their implementation and follow-up
2. Study the local and international reports on childhood, reflect and take notes and presentations regarding them with the purpose of benefiting from them to develop and grow the different aspects of childhood
3. Organize special events and forums in child-related local, Arab and international occasions
4. Implement the family and community awareness programs relating to early childhood stage and methods of correct upbringing
5. Encourage the voluntary work and expand its base in the field of supporting child programs

Department of Child Upbringing Institutions

1. It is responsible for the following:Set the principles and standards relating to establishing child institutions and update them to guarantee the quality of the services provided
2. Study the applications for establishing kindergartens and similar institutions and their compliance with the regulations
3. Supervise the kindergartens and other institutions and provide technical support for the programs and activities provided to children and evaluate them
4. Prepare the guides and booklets that suit the child requirements in kindergarten

The Child Upbringing Institutions supervised by the Ministry

First: Kindergartens

They are social and educational institutions that offer care and concern services to children. They receive the age groups from 3 months to three years and half.

Second: Child Growth Houses

IIt is a social civil activity that helps the rural children formulate their characters and provide them with educational, social, cultural and recreational services. They are run by civil committees and serve children from the age of three years and half to preschool.

Third: Children's Corners

IIt is an activity included among Omani Women Associations’ activities provided to the children in the cities and centers of the wilayas. They work to connect the essential cultural, educational, social and recreational services. They are run by Omani Women Associations. They serve children from the age of three years and half to preschool.

Division of Alternative Care

The Department assumes the following responsibilities:
 

1. The Department assumes the following responsibilities:Receive and review the families’ applications for incubating the orphan children and the alike
2. Receive, review and decide on the applications for incubating children that are referred from the Ministry’s directorates in the governorates
3. Undertake the delivery of children to the incubating families in coordination with the Child Care Centre
4. Periodically follow up in Muscat governorate and prepare the required reports
5. Issue relevant papers for the children with unknown parent/parents
6. Mutually coordinate and cooperate with the directorates and departments in the governorates
7. Conduct researches and reports relating to children prohibited from family care
8. Facilitate the measures for transferring the children and guarantee their safe residency in the Child Care Centre

Membership in Committees

Local committees

1. The implementation of Convention on the Rights of the Child follow-up Committee
2. National Campaign of Preschool Education Main Committee
3. The working group assigned with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination with the membership of the director of the Children’s Affairs Directorate
4. Working group of Education for All Plan
5. Working group for the Plan of education in the Arab world
6. Public safety frameworks in the private schools

Arab and international committees

1. Committee of Arab Children emanating from the Department of Family and Children of the Arab League.Arab Childhood Committee emerging from the Family and Childhood Administration in the Arab League
2. The follow-up team for implementing the United Nations’ recommendations on the cease of violence against children.