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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A Case Study of Legal Reform in Uganda: As Part of a Strategy for Promoting Community-Based Care

John Parry-Williams , 1993

This paper describes a case study examining the legal reforms made in Uganda in the area of community-based care.

Martin James Foundation's Asia Care Network Case Studies

Martin James Foundation,

As part of phase one of the development of the Martin James Foundation's Asia Care Network, comprehensive studies of the care system in each country were conducted to highlight the need for developing alternative care systems across South-East Asia.

See Full Report

Alternative Care Thailand

CRC Coalition Thailand - Alternative Care Working Group,

This website, developed by One Sky Foundation for the Convention on the Rights of the Child Coalition for Thailand Alternative Care Working Group, provides access to resources on alternative care in Thailand.

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Transitioning Models of Care Assessment Tool

Rebecca Nhep and Hannah Won - Better Care Network & Kinnected - an initiative of ACC International Relief, with support from Changing the Way We Care,

Welcome and Background to the Tool

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Looking Back, Looking Forward: Celebrating 10 Years of Transforming Sudan’s Child Protection System

Hope and Homes,

This report tracks the progress and celebrates the success of how a new child protection system - encompassing prevention, emergency hospital care, alternative family care (AFC) and permanent solutions - was introduced into an Islamic context.

Mobile Services in Bulgaria as Deinstitutionalization (DI) tool and beyond

Child Protection Hub for South East Europe,

This text describes “promising practice” mobile services for children and parents suffering abuse, neglect poverty and disability in Bulgaria.

A Short Introduction to Transforming Care

Lumos,

This Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) provides an overview of the necessary elements to safely transition children from institutions to families and family-like care settings.

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Speech by the Honourable Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare for the Official Launch of the National Child Care Consultative Forum

This document presents the full text of the speech delivered by Zambia’s Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare on the first day of the National Consultation to Accelerate Care Reform in Zambia.