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 Rapid Assessment of Children's Homes in post-Tsunami Aceh

Florence Martin and Tata Sudrajat, 2006

Examines institutional and family care in post-Tsunami Indonesia. Includes situational analysis, key issues, and recommendations.

Applying the Standards: Improving Quality Child Care Provision in East and Central Africa

Save the Children Fund; Diane M Swales with Rena Geibel and Neil McMillan, 2006

This guide is based on the standards set out in Raising the Standards (Save the Children, 2005). It presents lessons from the experiences of five agencies in implementing the childcare standards and assessing their effectiveness.

Social Protection: How important are the National Plans of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children?

Rachel Sabates-Wheeler and Lissa Pelham, 2006

This briefing paper emerges from a review of 14 national plans of action (NPA), or in the absence of a NPA, outputs from the rapid assessment analysis and action planning (RAAAP) work for orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. The purpose is to analyse the way that issues of social protection are incorporated into these plans and to highlight areas within the plans where social protection activity may be needed to achieve stated outcomes. Annex 3 summarises, country by country, the social protection content of each NPA.

Why Effective National Child Protection Systems are Needed: Key Recommendations in Response to the Study on Violence Against Children

Save the Children , 2006

Save the Children’s response to the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children. It outlines the key steps required by governments towards ending all forms of violence against children.

Alternative Care for Children Without Primary Caregivers in Tsunami-Affected Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand

UNICEF, 2006

An assessment of alternative care responses for children without primary caregivers in tsunami-affected regions of Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand. Includes good practices, recommendations, and detailed country reports.

Evaluation of the Family Support and Foster Care Project and the Prevention of Infant Abandonment and De-institutionalization Project: Georgia

Judita Reichenberg and Anna Nordenmark, 2006

Evaluation of two alternative care programmes in Georgia. Focus on contributions towards the construction of gatekeeping systems for alternative care services. Includes detailed lessons learned and recommendations.

Strengthening National Responses to Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: What is the Role of the State and Social Welfare in Africa?

Julia Purcell, 2006

Overview of social protection and welfare directions around the world, with recommendations for policies to protect vulnerable children and those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Overview of the Debate on Children Without Parental Care and Possible Models of Care

Annemiek van Voorst, 2006

Detailed examination of debate over institutional and alternative care methods for children without parental care. Includes comprehensive framework for collective action.

A Situational Analysis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Four Districts of South Africa

Alicia Davis and Donald Skinner (eds.), 2006

Identifies strengths and weaknesses of services offered to OVC in South Africa. A detailed list of recommendations suggests improvements to services.

Seeking Asylum Alone: Unaccompanied and Separated Children and Refugee Protection in the United States

Jacqueline Bhabha and Susan Schmidt, 2006

The report details the scale and nature of migritaion by children entering the United States. It includes policy analysis and recommendations around the protection of seperated and unaccompanied children.

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