Residential Care

Residential care refers to any group living arrangement where children are looked after by paid staff in a specially designated facility. It covers a wide variety of settings ranging from emergency shelters and small group homes, to larger-scale institutions such as orphanages or children’s homes. As a general rule, residential care should only be provided on a temporary basis, for example while efforts are made to promote family reintegration or to identify family based care options for children. In some cases however, certain forms of residential care can operate as a longer-term care solution for children.

Residential care can be a positive alternative for some girls and boys when it is used appropriately and meets certain standards. For example, small group home living arrangements or supported independent living can work well in cases where children (often older teenagers) don’t feel comfortable in a family setting, or where large groups of siblings want to stay together. Similarly in cases where children have suffered trauma, severe abuse or neglect, have a severe disability or require specialised support, small group settings where trained staff can provide therapeutic care may be an appropriate care option. As much as possible, residential facilities should be small, community-based, organised to resemble a family-type or small-group situation and allow for sufficient staff to provide individualised attention to children.

It is important to distinguish between residential care and institutional care, which should only be used as a last and temporary resort for children. Institutional care refers to large-scale group care within big institutional facilities and has been associated with a wide range of problems for children including physical, social and emotional under-development - with babies and infants under the age of three especially vulnerable to lasting harm. Long periods in an institution can deprive children of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers, make it difficult for them to assimilate back into a family and community, and are often linked to increased risk of sexual and physical abuse, a lack of stimulation, and harsh discipline.

In recent years, deinstitutionalisation has been at the heart of national care reform efforts, which seek to reduce reliance on institutional care and to promote family and community based care options for children instead. This includes efforts to promote ethical volunteerism within residential care centres, educate donors and to avoid proliferation of orphanages and children’s homes after humanitarian emergencies.

The documents in this section outline residential care options for children, examine the damaging impact of institutions, explore family and community-based care alternatives and describe care reform efforts including initiatives around ethical volunteerism.

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Guatemala: A Un Año de la Masacre de las Niñas

CEN, 01 Apr 2018

Esta llamada a la acción se propone activar, o profundizar y fortalecer —según el estado de avance en cada país— apuntan a poner fin al acogimiento de niños y niñas en centros residenciales sin que éste responda a los principios de necesidad e idoneidad encuadrados en las Directrices de Naciones Unidas sobre las modalidades de cuidado alternativo de los niños.

3rd Biennial International Conference Report: Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia

Udayan Care, 01 Apr 2018

This is the report of the 3rd Biennial International Conference (3rd BICON) on “Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia” that was convened by Udayan Care on March 16 & 17, 2018 at Amity University, Noida NCR (India).

Manual on Foster Care for Unaccompanied and Separated Children

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 01 Apr 2018

This Manual sets the minimum standards and policies for the protection and care of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) within a foster care arrangement in Malaysia.

A critical analysis of the creation of separated care structures for unaccompanied refugee minors

Ilse Derluyn - Children and Youth Services Review, 30 Mar 2018

Based on an analysis of the evolutions in the way the care structures for unaccompanied minors were set up in Belgium, the authors of this article critically reflect on the underlying rationales that justify the particularities of these structures, hereby also reflecting about the implications of these rationales for professionals and researchers.

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Barriers to childcare in Children's Homes in Ghana: Caregivers' solutions

Alhassan Abdullah, Ebenezer Cudjoe, Esmeranda Manful - Children and Youth Services Review, 27 Mar 2018

Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 37 caregivers in two Children's Homes in Ghana, this study sought to explore caregivers' suggestions of solutions to barriers in childcare.

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Institutionalized Chinese children with congenital medical conditions: Placement delay, developmental issues at arrival and current wellbeing

Tony Xing Tan & Emily A. X. Robinson - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Mar 2018

This study investigated the relationship between congenital conditions and post-adoption mental disorder diagnosis and treatment in 235 female youth who were adopted from China about 15 years prior.

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The effect of structured education on self-esteem and the suicide probability of male adolescents living in orphanages

Şenay Öztürk, Mine Ekinci - Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 13 Mar 2018

This study aims to observe the effect of structured education provided to improve self-esteem and hope on the self-esteem and the suicide probability of male adolescents living in orphanages.

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A Loving Family for Every Child: A Paradigm Shift from Institutional Care to Family-Based Care

Tyagi Richa - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 09 Mar 2018

This article discusses emerging trends in deinstitutionalisation and alternative care avenues nationally and internationally and examines the Miracle Foundation's evolution from a residential care provider to a family-based care and family strengthening organization.

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Progress for Every Child in the SDG era

UNICEF , 06 Mar 2018

This report from UNICEF assesses the world’s performance towards meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to date, focusing on 44 indicators that directly concern 2030’s most important constituency: children.

Supporting Governments to Successfully Transition from Institutional to Family-Based Care

Care for Children, 01 Mar 2018

This report provides a summary of research methodology and details of meetings and data collection from an October 2017 research visit to understand the current child welfare system in Cambodia, in particular the role and function of the Government residential care institutions (RCIs). The report presents findings and recommendations for pathways forward for government-led foster care development.