Women Development & Child Welfare Department, AP

Choosing the right service

• Facing domestic violence: the domestic violence cells.
• Affected by violence in private or public spaces: a One Stop Centre.
• In a difficult situation, or a young girl at risk of trafficking or sexual exploitation: a Shakti Sadan.
• A young working woman on a low income, living away from family: a Working Women Hostel.
• A child who needs care or protection, or a family considering adoption: Mission Vatsalya.
• A child aged 0 to 6 who needs nutrition and health support: Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

Getting help

• For immediate help, call the toll-free Women Helpline. It is open 24 hours a day.

Before you go

• Check the official page for each service for current details.

The Women Development and Child Welfare Department is a department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. It runs protection, support and nutrition services for women and children across the state, and its website says it works across 28 districts.

Services for women

The department's Shakthi page describes schemes for the wellbeing, nourishment, safety and security of women in the state. The state says it is implementing flagship programmes for these aims.

The Women Helpline is a toll-free, 24-hour telecom service for women who need support or information. It connects callers to police, fire and ambulance services through the Emergency Response Support System, and to One Stop Centres.

One Stop Centres give women affected by violence immediate, emergency and non-emergency support under one roof, in both private and public spaces. The website says 19 One Stop Centres are functional, in 19 districts.

Domestic violence cells help women facing domestic violence with family counselling, legal aid and case-sheet preparation. They file Domestic Incident Reports, draft legal documents for victims, and obtain summons for the respondent from the courts and send them to both parties.

Shakti Sadans are for women in difficult circumstances, and for young girls who need protection from trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Working Women Hostels provide food, shelter and security to young women employees on a low income who live away from their families.

Services for children

Mission Vatsalya is a centrally sponsored scheme that the state implements for child protection and care, with the aim of a healthy and happy childhood for every child in India. The website lists 54 children's homes across 23 districts, as of 1 September 2026.

The department also works as the State Adoption Resource Agency, in association with the Central Adoption Resource Authority in New Delhi.

Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 aim to improve the nutritional and health status of children aged 0 to 6. The support is delivered through Anganwadis.

Scale

The website reports 257 ICDS projects and 55,776 Anganwadis across 28 districts, delivered in convergence with other line departments. It also reports 19 functional One Stop Centres and 54 children's homes. These are the department's own figures and have not been independently checked.

Who runs it

The department is part of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The services on this page are welfare and protection services for women and children. They are not business funding.