Children with disabilities are disproportionately represented in residential care facilities (RCF) across the globe, and they are too often the last to find home in family care. As awareness grows in communities around the world, more and more people are working to ensure children with disabilities are no longer left behind in care reform, especially in services and programs that aim to reunify children with families, place children in family-based alternative care and prevent separation. While reintegrating children with disabilities often takes longer and can be more resource intensive, family care is always possible with the right support and services.
This guidance aims to provide case workers and others at RCFs with the considerations they need to look at for the successful reunification and placement of children with disabilities into family care, including understanding disability and how it impacts children’s care, disability-inclusive case management, and preparing children with disabilities for reunification or placement.
This guidance can and should be used together with the Toolkit for Disability Inclusion in Care Reform.
