This qualitative study explored the experiences of adults who had lived in group home care as adolescents and transitioned back into the community at the end of their treatment.

This leaflet was developed by the Working Group ‘Quality of Care’ of Better Care Network. It is  published by Better Care Network Netherlands. The leaflet provides useful information on child development and children’s care for those planning to volunteer at orphanages in developing countries.

This overview is intended to contribute to discussions on international volunteering in residential care centres as an anecdotal research piece on the situation in Ghana.

This video by Save the Children highlights the major reforms ongoing in Georgia to end harmful child institutionalisation and the work of its project to support the Government in this reform process.

This hard-hitting report by Disability Rights International is the product of a 3-year investigation into the orphanages, adult social care homes and other institutions that house children and adults with disabilities in the Republic of Georgia. It finds that although the Government of Georgia has undertaken an ambitious child care reform process over the last decade, institutionalized children with disabilities were largely excluded from this reform process.

This presentation to the 2012 Sofia Conference by Kevin Browne, Institute of Work, Health, and Organizations (I-WHO), School of Community Health Services at the University of Nottingham, introduces the collective findings of his research studies on the harmful effects of institutionalization of young children and major causes of child abandonment in Europe and prevention methods.

This presentation to the 2012 Sofia Conference by Brankica Janković, State Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Policy, introduces the achievements and challenges faced in altering the attitude of professionals working with children with disabilities from preferring institutions to family-based care systems.

In the attached document, Lumos reports that 8 million children worldwide are in institutions globally.  

This policy brief by Save the Children introduces the background, goals, and guiding principles of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children endorsed by the UN General Assembly on the 20th of November 2009 while also explaining why family-based care is a preferred care arrangement over institutions. Furthermore, it suggests policy and practice recommendations to further protect children without appropriate care and strengthen families and communities.

On the 22nd October 2013, a new regional campaign in the Latin American and Caribbean region was launched to end the placement of children under three years of age in institutions.