This systematic review of open-access research examined the effects of parental separation on children, identifying a wide range of adverse outcomes including neurological changes, trauma, abuse, poor academic performance, mental health disorders, and risky behaviors. The risk is highest between ages 9 months and 9 years, particularly when separation is abrupt, occurs in preschool years, involves care by strangers, or coincides with a change of residence.

This report examines the global sexual abuse and exploitation of care leavers, highlighting how systemic failures, both within institutions and during the transition to independence, leave young people vulnerable to harm, including cross-border trafficking and online exploitation. It calls for urgent action to strengthen safeguarding, ensure comprehensive aftercare, and create survivor-centered justice systems to protect care leavers’ rights, dignity, and long-term wellbeing.

This study evaluates the shelter conditions and caregiver–orphan relationships in orphanages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicate that while most orphans are satisfied with basic shelter, their relational and developmental needs are often unmet, highlighting the need for well-trained residential care staff and the recommendation that institutional care be used only as a last resort to support successful reintegration into communities.

This study aims to explore the experiences of gender expressions among transgender youth who aged out of out-of-home care in Israel.

This is a recording of a presentation Dr. Patricia Lannen, the principal investigator of the “LifeStories project”, delivered during a meeting of the Evidence for Impact Working Group of the Transforming Children's Care Collaborative on 2 October 2024. LifeStories is a 60-year longitudinal study of individuals placed in infant care institutions.

This article seeks to learn more about the experiences and perspectives of those who spent their childhoods in institutional care in Thailand and how they compare with international research on this topic.

This global study explores the intricate web of disadvantages preceding children’s entry into social care, shedding light on the complex interplay between early-life adversity, cumulative disadvantage, and long-term health outcomes and the ways in which intergenerational studies can inform strategies for breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

This study aimed to analyze the narratives of social educators regarding their practices within a foster care institution for children and adolescents in South Brazil.

This article provides a unique comparison of four non-professional stakeholder groups involved with dependency courts overseeing child protective services cases in the state of Maryland in the United States.

The purpose of this longitudinal study conducted on institutionalized infants and toddlers in Switzerland from 1958 to 1961 and then 60 years later on the same group, is to investigate the effects of psychosocial deprivation on cognitive functioning in late adulthood.