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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Social Protection as a Component of Child Care Reform in Zambia

Irene K. Munga - Chief Social Welfare Officer, Department of Social Welfare, Zambia, 04 May 2016

This presentation from the Department of Social Welfare, given at the Zambia National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform, describes the Zambia Law Development Commission and its work, discusses the need to integrate social protection with child protection to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families in Zambia.

Overview on the national child policy

Nicholas Banda, 04 May 2016

This presentation from Nicholas Banda, given at the Zambia National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform, outlines Zambia’s vision for child policy, covering child survival rights, child development rights, child protection rights, monitoring and evaluation, and institutional framework and implementation.

Demographic Profile of Children aged 0-17 in Zambia

Zambia Central Statistical Office , 04 May 2016

This presentation from Zambia's Central Statistical Office, given at the Zambia National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform, provides data on children in Zambia, including the legal definition of a child, how many are living in Zambia, where they live, and their living arrangements.

Zambia National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform

Government of Zambia, Better Care Network, and others, 04 May 2016

The Government of Zambia, along with many other partners including Better Care Network, convened a National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform in Zambia from 4-6 May, 2016. This resource includes the presentations and final Call to Action from the consultation.

The Orphan Myth: Keeping Families Together

To the Contrary - PBS, 08 Apr 2016

This special documentary episode of PBS’s “To the Contrary” explores the trend away from orphanages and towards family reunification.

Unaccompanied and Separated Foreign Children in the Care System in the Western Cape – A Socio-Legal Study

Julia Sloth-Nielsen and Marilize Ackermann - SCIELO, 30 Mar 2016

This article reports on the findings of a study of foreign children, including from Burundi, accommodated in the care system in the Western Cape, based on fieldwork conducted in child and youth care centres (CYCCs).

Making sense, discovering what works… Cross-agency collaboration in Child Welfare and Protection in Norway and Quebec

Oscar E. Firbank - Journal of Comparative Social Work, 01 Feb 2016

This study seeks to understand collaboration dynamics in social services for determining what strategies work best in facilitating collaborative endeavors in specific policy and institutional environments.

Los Olvidados: Niños y Niñas en "Hogares": Macroinstituciones en América Latina y el Caribe

RELAF, 2016

Este documento pretende impulsar un cambio en el paradigma de la institucionalización como respuesta a la situación de los niños, niñas y adolescentes privados de cuidados familiares.

Child Protection: UNICEF Country Programme 2016-2018

UNICEF Cambodia, 2016

This brief from UNICEF Cambodia describes UNICEF's plans and programs regarding child protection.

The Illusion of Protection: An Analytical Report Based on the Findings of a Comprehensive Study of the Child Protection System in Ukraine

Hope and Homes for Children, 2016

To obtain complete data on the child protection system and related problems in Ukraine, Hope and Homes for Children conducted a comprehensive study of the child protection system in Ukraine during the 2015 - 2016 time period. To ensure the integrity of the data, the structure of the study included components focused on different levels of the child protection system in Ukraine (national, regional and rayon), and combined both quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods. The system of institutional care was the main focus of the study.