Miracle Foundation India Hosts National Family Summit 2025 to Advance Family-Based Care

Miracle Foundation India successfully hosted the National Family Summit 2025 on February 13-14 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, bringing together government leaders, child protection experts, practitioners, and key stakeholders to drive forward the agenda of family-based care. The summit served as a collaborative platform to celebrate progress, exchange best practices, and reinforce commitments to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, loving, and nurturing family environment.

The event, themed ‘Supporting, Nurturing, and Enabling Happy Families,’ provided a crucial opportunity for discussions on strengthening families and advancing family-based alternative care.

In her opening address, Ms. Kusum Mohapatra, Regional Director & CEO, Miracle Foundation India, outlined the summit’s objectives and its significance in ensuring children grow up in safe and loving families. She emphasized that the event was not just a discussion platform but an effort to bring together different stakeholders and recognise the great work being done by Governments and practitioners. This was reinforced by Ms. Chhavi Rajawat, Board Member, Miracle Foundation India, who in her welcome address spoke about the power of innovation and collective responsibility in reshaping child protection. “Together, we have the power to create lasting change for children. The National Family Summit is both a celebration of progress and a call to reimagine child care in India,” she stated.

Dr. Divya Gupta, Member, NCPCR, shared insights into NCPCR’s initiatives aimed at ensuring child protection. She spoke about the need for early identification and support for vulnerable families, strengthening monitoring mechanisms, and enhancing digital safety for children. She reinforced that reducing reliance on institutional care requires systemic change, addressing poverty, and improving access to essential services. She spoke about individualised planning and support for every child.

Adding a global perspective, Mr. Hugh Salmon, Director, Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, shared best practices in deinstitutionalization and social workforce development from international contexts. He stressed that building a strong, well-trained social service workforce is fundamental to transitioning from institutional care to family-based care.

The summit also featured a valedictory address by Dr. Rita Patnaik, Joint Director, NIPCCD, Ministry of Women and Child Development, who recognized the significant strides made in child care reform. She highlighted how transforming Child Care Institutions (CCIs) into family support centers has facilitated the safe reintegration of children into families. She further emphasized the importance of convergence across child development sectors, ensuring that children grow up safe, healthy, and well-supported.

As Miracle Foundation India marks 25 years of impact, the summit reflected on its journey from working with CCIs to recognizing that most institutionalized children had living parents or extended families who were separated due to poverty, systemic gaps, and lack of support. This realization led to a strategic shift toward strengthening families, aligning with the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Mission Vatsalya guidelines.

The discussions at the summit underscored the importance of innovation in strengthening child protection systems. Experts and practitioners spoke about how technology can enhance case management and empower the social workforce, making interventions more efficient and data-driven. There was also a strong emphasis on evidence-based decision-making, with panelists calling for better data collection and analysis to shape policies that prioritize family-based care.

The summit reinforced that ensuring children’s well-being is a shared responsibility. Speakers emphasized that collaborations between global, national, and grassroots organizations are essential to building a sustainable child protection ecosystem. Over the course of five panel discussions, experts stressed the need for stronger cross-sector partnerships and shared accountability, ensuring that children remain safe, connected to their families, and supported by their communities.

The National Family Summit 2025 stands as a testament to the collective commitment of government bodies, civil society organizations, donors, and frontline changemakers in advancing family-based care. It marks a significant milestone in preventing unnecessary family-child separation, reinforcing the belief that child protection is most effective when families are supported first. It ended with Ms. Sandhyaa Mishra, Senior Director, Government Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, Miracle Foundation India, highlighting the urgent need for collective action to create stronger support systems for families, ensuring children remain connected to their loved ones rather than entering institutional care.

For further information or media inquiries, please contact:

Priyanka Khullar
Head, Marketing and Communications
Miracle Foundation India
+91-8800248705
priyanka@miraclefoundation.org

About Miracle Foundation India

Miracle Foundation India is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and transforming child protection systems. For 25 years, the organization has worked to shift the focus from institutional care to family-based support, ensuring children grow up in safe, stable, and nurturing environments. Collaborating with government agencies, NGOs, and communities, Miracle Foundation India advocates for systemic reforms, facilitates family reintegration, and drives preventive measures to keep families together.