The Department of Child Development is one of the technical departments in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services mandated to initiate, manage, implement coordinate oversee and supervise the National Child Policy, the National Children’s Action Plan and the         

Role of the Department of Child Development

The Department of Child Development (DCD) is a key government department in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services mandated to initiate, manage, implement coordinate, oversee and supervise the National Child Policy, the National Children’s Action Plan and to combat or fight streetism.          

The Functions of the Department are to: – 

(a) Foster, initiate, actualize, support, review, analyze , evaluate, coordinate, manage, ensure the implementation,  evaluate and monitor the National Child Policy. 

(b) Coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Child Policy;

(c) Coordinate all Child Development programmes;

(d) Domesticate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC);

(e)  Promote of Children’s Rights to Survival, Development, Protection and Participation;

(f)  Protect Children’s Rights to Survival, Development, Protection and Participation;

(g)  Combating Streetism and dealing with the phenomenon of Streetism and Street Children and ensuring that it is controlled and eliminated.  

Staffing

The Department of Child Development is headed by the Director and is assisted by three Chiefs namely Chief Child Development Officer-Inspection, Chief Child Development Officer- Child Protection and Chief Child Development Officer-Information, Education and Communication.

The Department has 10 Provincial Child Development Offices in all the Provinces of Zambia namely 

The Department is responsible for the following:

1. Coordination and Monitoring of the implementation of the National Child Policy;
2. Coordination of Child Development programmes;
3. Domestication of the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
4. Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights to Survival Development, Protection and Participation;
5. Combating Streetism;