Who is vulnerable, and why?
Vulnerability means being more likely to be harmed and less able to protect yourself. It comes from age, illness, disability, poverty, losing family, disaster, or discrimination.
- Children: depend fully on adults; risks are hunger, illness, abuse, child labour, losing parents, no schooling.
- Youth: risks are dropping out, no job or skills, drugs, crime, mental stress, early marriage.
- Elderly: risks are illness, disability, no income, loneliness, neglect or abuse.
Support services work like a safety net: they catch people before they fall into deep trouble.
Services for young children
Integrated child development services
Many countries run community centres for children under 6, pregnant women and nursing mothers. India's Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) works through anganwadi centres and gives six services:
- Supplementary nutrition
- Immunisation
- Health check-ups
- Referral to hospitals
- Pre-school (non-formal) education
- Nutrition and health education for mothers
Children who cannot live with their own family
The best place for a child is a family. So the order of choice is:
- Adoption: a child legally becomes the permanent child of new parents, with all rights. It goes through an authorised agency and a court or official order.
- Foster care and family-style children's villages: for example SOS Children's Villages, where a small group of children live in a house with a caring "mother" as a family, go to local schools and grow up together.
- Children's homes: institutions run by government or NGOs that give shelter, food, education and care. Used when family options are not possible, and children should leave for a family when they can.
Programmes for youth
- Education and scholarships to stop drop-out.
- Skill training and apprenticeships for jobs or self-employment.
- Sports, scouts, guides and volunteering (for example national service schemes and youth clubs) for health, leadership and citizenship.
- Adolescent health: nutrition, mental health counselling, sexual and reproductive health information.
- Help against drugs and crime: awareness and de-addiction centres.
Programmes for the elderly
- Old-age pension: monthly money for older people with low income.
- Health care: geriatric (old-age) clinics, health insurance, free medicines.
- Day care centres: older people spend the day with others, eat, do activities, then go home.
- Old-age homes: for those who have no one to care for them.
- Helplines and legal protection: many countries have laws making children responsible for parents' maintenance, and helplines against abuse.
- Active ageing: clubs, learning, volunteering, so older people keep their skills and dignity.
Try it
Talk to an older neighbour or grandparent for 10 minutes. Ask what help they need most: health, money, company, or something else. Which service from this lesson fits?
Key formulas and definitions
- Vulnerable = more risk + less power to protect yourself
- Main vulnerable groups: children, youth, elderly (also disabled, women in distress)
- Child development services: nutrition, immunisation, health check-up, referral, pre-school, health education
- Care for children without family: adoption → foster / children's village → children's home (last)
- Youth: education, skills, sport, health, counselling
- Elderly: pension, health care, day care, old-age home, helpline, active ageing
Worked examples
1. A 4-year-old in a poor family is underweight and has missed vaccines. Which service helps, and how?
A child development (anganwadi-type) centre: it gives supplementary food, catches up missed vaccines, checks growth, refers the child to a doctor if needed, and gives pre-school learning.
2. A 7-year-old has lost both parents and has no relatives able to care for her. What options exist, in order of preference?
First, adoption by a new permanent family through an authorised agency. If not possible, foster care or a family-style children's village. A children's home is the last option, and only until a family can be found.
3. A 72-year-old man lives alone with no income and has diabetes. List three services he can use.
1. Old-age pension for money. 2. Government health care or insurance for his diabetes medicines. 3. A day care centre or senior citizens' club for company and meals. An elder helpline can help in emergencies.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a children's home is the first choice for orphans. Family-based care (adoption, foster, children's village) comes first.
- Thinking only poor people are vulnerable. Illness, disability, loneliness and disasters make anyone vulnerable.
- Thinking the child development centre only gives food. It also gives vaccines, health check-ups, referral, pre-school and education for mothers.
- Thinking adoption can be done informally. Legal adoption goes through an authorised agency and an official order.