The India Alternative Care Network (IACN) came into effect in March 2020. It is hosted at Butterflies and is supported by UNICEF. IACN brings together an array of practitioners, academicians, policy advocates and organisations working on improving the well-being and protection of children without parental care or at risk of separation. Through the online and offline initiatives, IACN aims to work on strengthening policy and practice on alternative care in India.
IACN launched its website on 21 October 2020, to promote knowledge dissemination, exchange of information and fostering collaborations on issues of children without parental care or at risk of separation. In this video recording of the IACN website launch, the speakers give a brief overview of alternative care in India and the importance of having a national network for advancing knowledge, evidence and advocacy on issues of alternative care. This is followed by sharing sessions on findings of the rapid assessment to understand the impact of COVID-19 on families and children in India, and a global study on kinship care.
The event took attendees through the new IACN website and featured the following speakers:
- Opening remarks by Rita Panicker, Butterflies and Soledad Herrero, UNICEF India
- Experiences from BCN - Lessons for IACN by Florence Martin, Better Care Network
- Sharing of findings of the rapid assessment to understand the impact of COVID-19 on children and families by Prabhat Kumar, Save the Children India
- Sharing of findings of the global study on kinship care by Family For Every Child