The Better Care for Every Child (Better Care) programme, led by UNICEF Ukraine, aims to ensure that all children grow up in safe, nurturing family environments rather than in institutional care. The initiative supports the Government of Ukraine in reforming the child protection system by strengthening family-based care and preventing unnecessary separation of children from their families. Through investments in early intervention, social services, and capacity building for frontline professionals, Better Care focuses on keeping families together—particularly those affected by poverty, disability, displacement, or conflict.
In collaboration with national and local authorities, Better Care promotes alternative care models such as foster care and kinship care, while also improving access to inclusive education and community-based services. The programme raises awareness of the risks associated with institutional care and empowers communities to safeguard children's rights. In the context of war and humanitarian crisis, Better Care plays a critical role in ensuring that children remain connected to protective family environments and receive the support they need to thrive.
The following resources have been developed under the programme:
- Overview of the National Strategy for Ensuring the Right of Every Child to Grow Up in a Family Environment and Approaches to its Implementation
- Integrated Social Protection in Ukraine: Cash Benefits for Children within Ukraine’s Better Care Initiative
- Parenting Support in Ukraine
- The Strategy for Ensuring the Right of Every Child in Ukraine to Grow up in a Family Environment Costing Model and Resource Requirements
- Technical Guidance for Oblast-level Better Care Start-Up
- Service Package for Ensuring the Right of Every Child to Grow Up in a Family Environment within the Child Care and Support System Reform
- Economics of Better Care
- Rapid Mapping and Analysis of Laws and Policies
- Collective Impact and Care Reform in Ukraine
- Meaningful Participation of People with Lived Experience of Care
- Youth Independent Living
- Potential Role of Paraprofessionals Within Child Protection and Care
- Better Start for Better Care
- Positive Parenting Services in Ukraine
- Meaningful Participation of Children and Young People with Lived Experience in Alternative Care Settings: Global Practice Examples
- Early Intervention for Children in Ukraine
- Pathways for the return and reintegration of children in Ukraine
- Strengthening the Social Sector Workforce: Applying Core Competencies
- Core Knowledge, Skills and Competencies of the Social Sector Workforce and Existing Capacity Gaps
- Report on the Analysis of National and Regional Training Programmes in the Social Sector
- International Experience in Core Competencies and In-Service Training of Social Sector Workers
- Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of the Social Sector Workforce and Existing Gaps
- Findings and Recommendations Based on the Review of State and Regional Training Programs in the Social Sector
- Strengthening the Social Sector through Supportive Supervision
- Supervision of the Social Worker Workforce: Case Study – United Kingdom
- Supervision of the Social Sector Workforce: Case Study – Romania
- Supervision of the Social Worker Workforce: Case Study – Germany