Child Care and Protection System Reforms

Social welfare sector reform is increasingly common, particularly in transitional countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Increasing attention has been paid to the development of preventive community based child and family welfare programs that would, in coordination with health and education programs and social assistance, provide a range of support for vulnerable families.

Recognition of the damaging effects of institutional care on children and its high cost has influenced governments to redirect resources towards alternative family and community-based care practices such as kinship care, fostering, and adoption. Redirecting resources in the context of social welfare reforms requires a commitment from governments to provide adequate financing for effective policy implementation.

Funding availability raises a variety of issues regarding the level and type of support to be provided, the private or public management of services, and the entitlement process. Social welfare should protect the rights of children and their caretakers via fair and clear criteria of support provisions, with transparent procedures for the effective allocation of services.

Social welfare reforms to protect and support children and families need to be built on legal protections and child care policies which reflect the same child centred goals. Alternative forms of community based care, combined with social reintegration programmes and family support services, must be developed to reduce the use of institutions and enable children leaving institutions to rejoin their communities.

The resources in this section focus on country initiatives in reforming their social welfare sector to finance community based care developments.

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Evaluarea Îngrijirii Alternative a Copilului în Moldova 1

Molly Cannon, Camelia Gheorghe, Moldova country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report, in the Moldovan lanugage, presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at informing action planning to address priority needs identified in alternative care for children in Moldova.

Assessing Alternative Care for Children in Ghana

Mari Hickman, Bashiru Adams, Ghana country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report presents the findings of an assessment of Ghana's national alternative care system aimed at supporting the government and its partners in continuing to advance alternative care.

Ending institutionalisation and strengthening family and community based care for children in Europe and beyond

UNICEF, 01 Jun 2018

This document was developed by UNICEF to influence policymakers in the European Union to strengthen their commitment to assisting governments’ transition from institutional care to community-based care in the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (2021-2027).

Evaluarea Îngrijirii Alternative a Copilului în Moldova 2

Molly Cannon, Camelia Gheorghe, Moldova country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report, in the Moldovan langauge, presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at informing action planning to address priority needs identified in alternative care for children in Moldova.

Utilizing predictive modeling to enhance policy and practice through improved identification of at-risk clients: Predicting permanency for foster children

Dallas J. Elgin - Children and Youth Services Review, 28 May 2018

This paper provides an illustrative case involving the development and testing of models used to predict the probability of whether U.S. foster children would achieve legal permanency.

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Challenges of operationalizing trauma‐informed practice in child protection services in New Zealand

Nicola Atwool - Child & Family Social Work, 16 May 2018

The focus of this paper is the challenge of implementing trauma‐informed practice in the child protection service provided by the Intensive Intervention work stream.

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Best Gift To A Child is Family

Mtoto News, 02 May 2018

This video from Mtoto News features interviews with several experts in the field of children's care and protection who discuss the importance of deinstitutionalization, particularly in the Eastern and Southern Africa context, and efforts being made to reduce or end the institutionalization of children.

Country Care Review: Nepal

Better Care Network, 16 Apr 2018

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Opportunities to Strengthen Developmental Screening for Children Involved in Child Welfare Systems

Center for the Study of Social Policy, 01 Apr 2018

This resource from the U.S. Center for the Study of Social Policy presents recommendations highlighting strategies for improving the delivery of developmental screening and early intervention for children who become known to state and local child welfare systems.

3rd Biennial International Conference Report: Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia

Udayan Care, 01 Apr 2018

This is the report of the 3rd Biennial International Conference (3rd BICON) on “Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia” that was convened by Udayan Care on March 16 & 17, 2018 at Amity University, Noida NCR (India).