DFGC Supports
UNICEF
Purpose of partnership
Partnering To Creating Awareness and Strengthening Systems for Screening, Surveillance, and Management of birth defects and developmental disorders in the RBSK programmes, focusing on developmental dysplasia of hip and autism spectrum disorders.
Partnership Goals
- Build integrated, government-anchored systems for early identification, referral, and management of birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders across the continuum of care.
- Design and operationalize models that link community platforms, health facilities, and specialized services, creating replicable pathways for national scale-up.
- Strengthen caregiver engagement, community awareness, and support systems to improve care-seeking behaviours and long-term developmental outcomes.
What we have been doing through partnership
- Institutional Strengthening: Establishment of Centres of Excellence to serve as hubs for clinical leadership, training, and research in neurodevelopmental care. in the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
- Standardised Frameworks: Development of guidelines, protocols, and referral pathways to ensure consistency in screening, diagnosis, and management.
- Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: Mobilising professional bodies, civil society, and the private sector through coalitions and platforms such as Inclusive Impact for Early Years (II4E).
- Family-Centred Care: Strengthening caregiver engagement through counselling, parent support networks, and community awareness.
Key Achievements & Goals
The partnership between UNICEF and Divi’s Foundation is advancing inclusive, people-centered health systems for children with birth defects and developmental disorders, in line with 2026 targets. Here’s how we’re making a difference:
- Institutional Platforms established and operationalized
- Four CoEs established in Chennai, Bangalore, Tirupati, and Trivandrum are functioning as fully operational hubs for clinical leadership, capacity building, mentoring, and implementation support; anchored within state health systems.
- Standardised National Frameworks Driving Programmatic Coherence
Evidence-based guidelines, standard operating procedures, and referral pathways for priority neurodevelopmental disorders have been developed and adopted, strengthening consistency in service delivery in the intervention states. - Expanded Workforce Capacity for Early Identification and Care
Capcities of 50,000 plus health person strengthened including frontline workers, specialists, and programme managers to identify and manage developmental conditions. - Strengthened Family-Centred Care Systems
Parent support platforms and caregiver engagement mechanisms are embedded within district systems, improving care adherence, early help-seeking, and long-term developmental outcomes. - Integrated District Models Demonstrating Connected Care
Prototype districts across interventional states are implementing end-to-end care models, linking community screening, newborn care, early intervention, and tertiary services, resulting in improved referrals and continuity of care.
India’s Next Child Health Frontier
A partnership reimagining child health in India; shifting the focus from survival to thriving. By building systems for early identification, integrated care, and timely intervention, and anchoring them through Centres of Excellence and capacity building, the initiative is creating scalable, inclusive models that enable timely intervention and improved lifelong outcomes for children.
The Road Ahead
Together, UNICEF and Divi’s Foundation are building scalable, sustainable models to support 500,000 children survive and thrive.
