Leaving Alternative Care and Reintegration

It is important to support children who are preparing to leave care. This includes helping young people as they ‘age out’ of the care system and transition to independent living, as well as children planning to return home and reintegrate with their families. In either case, leaving care should be a gradual and supervised process that involves careful preparation and follow-up support to children and families.

The transition from alternative care to independent living can be challenging for young people. While some departures from care may be well planned, others may be sudden or unexpected, leaving young people emotionally and financially ill-equipped to cope with change. Without adequate preparation for leaving care and support during the aftercare phase, young people may face risks such as long-term unemployment, substance abuse, involvement in criminal activities and homelessness. Studies indicate that the biggest barriers to transitioning children out of care includes the absence of supportive relationships, educational challenges, housing instability and economic challenges (unemployment).

Reducing these risks involves working with children to plan for life after care and adulthood– including helping them to determine the most appropriate living environment, develop necessary life, financial management and job skills, and ensure that they have a reliable support system in place. Once children leave care, they should be encouraged to maintain contact with their previous care givers and friends, have access to basic services and quality housing with financial assistance, and be supported to follow educational, vocational and employment opportunities. Above all, evidence indicates that young people who benefit from gradual, extended and supported transitions from care have better outcomes than those who leave early and abruptly.

Girls and boys who leave care to return home can also benefit from a gradual process of reintegration with their families – both before and after the event. Initially this should involve a comprehensive assessment of whether the problems that led to family separation (such as poverty or social problems) have been adequately resolved, and whether a return home is in a child’s best interests. If so, the child, family and alternative caregivers should be supported to prepare and plan for reintegration – which may involve increasing the frequency and duration of children’s family visits before the final return, helping to build parenting skills, assessing families’ financial, practical and emotional support needs and developing a care plan to address them.

Once children are reunited with their families, ongoing support and supervision can play a critical role in ensuring that reintegration is lasting. For example social or community workers can provide counselling support, facilitate families’ access to social protection benefits and make sure that children have the academic support required to catch up at a new school. In some cases, children’s extended family and the broader community can also be encouraged to provide emotional or practical support.

This section contains literature on children leaving alternative care in non-emergency settings. This includes lessons learned and best practices regarding family reintegration, as well as guidance for supporting young people as they leave the care system and transition to independent living.

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The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Alternative Family-based and Community-based Care of Children in Kenya

Changing the Way We Care, Republic of Kenya, 01 Aug 2023

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Alternative Family-based and Community-based Care of Children in Kenya provide guidance for the comprehensive implementation of the Guidelines for Alternative Family Care for Children in Kenya (2014).

Technical Guidance for Family Reintegration in Haiti

ISS, RAPHA International, 30 Jul 2023

This is a practical guide for the social workforce from the State, Civil Society Organisations and NGOs working with children separated from their families and being placed in residential care institutions or in other forms of alternative care in Haiti. This ISS publication draws on case studies and best practices from various experiences in Haiti and abroad in the field of family reintegration.

Guide Technique Pour la Reintegration Familiale En Haiti

ISS, RAPHA International, 30 Jul 2023

Ce Guide Technique pour la Réintégration Familiale en Haïti se veut un guide pratique pour les travailleurs sociaux de l’Etat, des Organisations de la Société Civile et des ONG travaillant avec les enfants séparés de leurs familles et placés en Maison d’Enfants ou en d’autres dispositifs de protection de remplacement en Haïti.

Needs and Coping Strategies of Care Experienced Young People

Lorena Živković, Linda Rajhvajn Bulat, 19 Jul 2023

The main aim of this paper is to gain insight into the needs of youth who have left alternative care in the social welfare system. The study was conducted in Zagreb, Croatia, on a sample of sixteen young people.

Through a Relational Lens: Reflections About Foster Care Experience in Italian Emancipated Foster Youth

Paola Cardinali, Fabiola Bizzi, Laura Migliorini, 12 Jul 2023

This study aimed to investigate relational outcomes of Italian emancipated foster youth across open-ended reflections about their perceptions of their relationships with the biological and foster family, with partner and peers.

‘Staying Close’: Enabling Social Interdependence for Young People Leaving Residential Care in England

Dan Allen, 05 Jul 2023

This paper considers eight evaluations of an extended care scheme in England known as ‘Staying Close’. Findings suggest that for extended care projects like ‘Staying Close’ to work, any service offer designed to support the transition from residential care to independent living must be seen by the young person, the carer, and the wider social network, as a continuation of earlier efforts to build and nurture a genuinely committed relationship.

‘Doing Family’ in Adversity: Findings from a Qualitative Study Exploring Family Practices in Alternative Care Settings in Thailand

Justin Rogers, Victor Karunan, Pryn Ketnim, Aphisara Saeli, 03 Jul 2023

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that explored children's and families' experiences of alternative care in Thailand. The study used arts-based methods to engage 160 children living in a range of care settings.

Childhood Experiences of Alternative Care and Callousness/ Unemotionality: A Conceptual Model, Scoping Review, and Research Agenda

Dave S. Pasalich, Benjamin Aquilina, Alison Hassall, Natalie Goulter, Nakiya Xyrakis, Anderson Khoo, 02 Jul 2023

This paper provides the first conceptual model for, and systematic scoping review of, callousness/unemotionality in children and young people with experiences of alternative care across the globe.

Case Management: A Scalable Model for Reintegration of Children without Parental Care in Kenya

Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), 30 Jun 2023

To ensure a significant improvement in service delivery to children and their families, and specifically to the successful reintegration of children from residential care into families and communities, a case management approach, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and tools were required to support state and non-state service providers to standardize the way they promoted family care. This short insight document describes how the case management package was developed and rolled out.

Research on Care Leavers in Kenya

UNICEF ESARO Regional Learning Platform, 23 Jun 2023

During this UNICEF ESARO webinar presenters share findings from research on care leavers in Kenya, and explore the peer-to-peer methods used in this research. The Government of Kenya also explains why this research was conducted and how it will be used.