India is advancing child protection reforms with a growing focus on ensuring children thrive in safe, nurturing families, supported by collaboration among government, civil society, communities, and families. Insights from the National Family Summit 2025 highlight how multi-level partnerships are driving family strengthening and family-based alternative care, while also charting a roadmap to overcome systemic challenges and sustain progress.

This document outlines a minimum package of social services aimed at preventing child-family separation, supporting reintegration of children from institutional care into families, and sustaining family-based care. The package includes eight core services: resilience-building support; accompaniment for families raising orphans; early intervention; inclusive education assistance; day care for children with disabilities; social support for families in difficult life circumstances; social integration for care leavers; and supported living for young people with disabilities.

Child protection systems have traditionally emphasized remedial services over prevention, often relying on uniform care models that fail to account for children’s diverse needs. This study examines the child protection systems of countries representing various welfare models and comparatively evaluates the practices for disabled children in need of protection in these systems.

Drawing on the panel and discussions at the Global Study’s Global Conference on Justice for Children Deprived of Liberty 2024 Geneva event, this chapter outlines key elements required for deinstitutionalisation for effective children’s care reforms that are accountable to children. It proposes a two-pronged approach of systems change reforms reinforced by accountability mechanisms to achieve this for children in institutions specifically for care purposes.

The Framework for Action is an interagency initiative, led by UNICEF, Save the Children and World Vision, driving global action behind efforts to strengthen child protection systems, mobilising the complex array of stakeholders at sub-national, national, regional and global levels to implement pledges and commitments to end violence against children.

Desde Tijuana, este relato muestra cómo una comunidad religiosa, las Hermanas de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor, decidió pasar de un modelo institucional de cuidado a un enfoque centrado en las familias y la vida comunitaria, priorizando el derecho de cada niña, niño y adolescente a crecer en un entorno seguro, amoroso y protector.

This study is complementary to the alternative care assessment and explores the perceptions and attitudes of policymakers, judges, and frontline child protection practitioners toward alternative care in Bangladesh. It finds broad consensus that children thrive best in families, yet institutional care remains the default due to the lack of structured alternatives.

This study examines the impact of clientelism on reintegration and family-strengthening efforts for children in Cambodian and Myanmar residential care institutions where clientelism is present. It finds that patron–client relationships between directors and families often undermine reintegration by limiting parental agency and co-opting reintegration to serve the interests of directors rather than children.

A round table in Brussels, co-hosted by Hope and Homes for Children and European Parliament Vice President Victor Negrescu, explored child protection and care reform in Moldova within the context of EU accession. The report highlights progress made, ongoing challenges, and shared commitments to ensuring every child in Moldova grows up in a safe and caring family.

On June 9, Keystone Human Services International and partners hosted a side event at the 18th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD on “Closing the Revolving Doors: A Lifespan Approach to Deinstitutionalization.” Panelists explored challenges, opportunities, and success stories in advancing sustainable care reform and community-based supports for children and adults with disabilities.