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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Alternative Child Care and Deinstitutionalisation: A case study of Chile

Dr Chrissie Gale - CELCIS, 01 Nov 2016

The European Commission Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers commissioned SOS Children’s Villages International to undertake case studies of arrangements for ‘alternative child care’ in six non-European countries in three continents to help inform the EU’s future strategy for provision of support for children in countries outside Europe. This report is a case study of one of the six countries, Chile.

“Children in Charge” Imagining systemic reform and redesign in care commissioning for children: A Discussion Paper

Children England, 01 Nov 2016

This paper is an attempt at rethinking the systemic problems facing the funding and commissioning of care services and placements for children in need of care and adoption, across ALL types and specialisms of placement, from kinship care, through foster care, to residential care and adoption.

Alternative Child Care and Deinstitutionalisation: A Case Study of Ecuador

Dr Chrissie Gale and Mg Patricia Calero Teran - CELCIS & SOS Children's Villages, 01 Nov 2016

The European Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) commissioned SOS Children’s Villages International to undertake case studies of arrangements for ‘alternative child care’ in six non-European countries across three continents to help inform the EU’s future strategy for provision of support for children in countries outside Europe. This report is a case study of one of the six countries, Ecuador.

Alternative Child Care and Deinstitutionalisation in Central and South America: Findings of a Desk Review

Dr Chrissie Gale - CELCIS & SOS Children's Villages, 01 Nov 2016

The overall purpose of this study is to present an ‘introduction’ to alternative care systems in Central and South America (CSA).

UAFA: Deinstitutionalization

UAFA, 31 Oct 2016

In this video from United Aid for Azerbaijan, several experts and public officials discuss the importance of deinstitutionalization.

Evaluation Brief: Evaluating Systems and Organizational Change in Child Welfare Settings

James Bell Associates on behalf of the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, 31 Oct 2016

This brief explores challenges and strategies for evaluating systems and organizational change in US child welfare settings.

Process of Deinstitutionalization of Children at Risk in Bulgaria

Venelin Terziev, Ekaterina Arabska - Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 27 Oct 2016

The current study makes analyses of the national strategy for deinstitutionalization of children and concludes on important recommendations concerning national policy development.

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Ethiopia Child Protection Factsheet

UNHCR, 01 Oct 2016

In this Ethiopia Child Protection Fact Sheet, UNHCR provides the main child protection highlights, issues, and trends for 2014 to 2016.