In May, 2016, 77 diverse children’s care stakeholders from government ministries, UN agencies, civil society, donors, academia and the media came together in Lusaka over three days to take part in a national consultation to accelerate the national child care reform process in Zambia. This report documents the discussions at the meeting and key issues identified to accelerate the care reform process in Zambia. Highlighted challenges included the relationship between poverty and increased risk of child separation; conceptualization of child care reform, and building an integrated monitoring and evaluation framework.
Conclusions and recommendations were agreed around the three main focus areas: Evidence building and sharing; Capacity strengthening; and Strengthening advocacy. The consultation ended with a Call to Action by the Zambia Government through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare for a more coordinated and accelerated effort to strengthen families and care for children.
