Psychological first-aid to children affected by Covid-19 pandemic

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<strong>The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is providing tele-counselling to children through SAMVEDNA (Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) – a toll-free helpline launched to provide psycho-social mental support for children affected during the Covid 19 pandemic.<br />
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The tele-counselling is being provided through a network of qualified experts/counselors/psychologists trained under the guidance of Dr. Shekhar Seshadri, Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and his team from NIMHANS, on various psychosocial issues in reference to Covid-19, using different strategies.<br />
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NCPCR is a statutory body and works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development, government of India.<br />
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SAMVEDNA tele counselling service is for psychological support to children to address their stress, anxiety, fear and other issues during the pandemic. This service is available on a toll-free No: 1800-121-2830 from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  This service is exclusively for children who are willing to talk and are in need of counseling. When a child/ caretaker/parent dials SAMVEDNA 1800-121-2830, they get to speak to a professional counselor in a safe environment.<br />
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Tele counselling is being provided to the children under three categories:<br />
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– Children who are in quarantine/isolation/Covid care centers<br />
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– Children who have Covid positive parents or family members and near ones<br />
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– Children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 pandemic.<br />
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The counselling caters to the children from all over India in various regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, etc. The service was launched in September 2020 and continues to support children with an objective of providing psychological first-aid and emotional support to children in the difficult times of pandemic.</p>
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