Community Based Care Mechanisms

The Guidelines for the Alternative Care for Children highlight the importance of providing children with care within family-type settings in their own communities. This allows girls and boys to maintain ties with natural support networks such as relatives, friends and neighbours, and minimizes disruption to their education, cultural and social life. Keeping children within their communities (ideally as close as possible to their original homes), also allows girls and boys to stay in touch with their families, and facilitates potential reintegration.

Examples from around the world demonstrate that there are many ways children without adequate family care can be supported within their own communities. This includes both formal and informal arrangements such as foster care, kinship care, domestic adoption/Kafala, guardianship, supervised independent living, child-headed households and small group homes.

These practices can be supported through a range of formal measures including social protection schemes (e.g. child sensitive cash transfers), family strengthening services, community based rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, respite care, training for caregivers, and policies that support families in alternative care-taking roles. Increasing access to free education and health services, and establishing social assistance programmes to reduce poverty, can also help the poorest caregivers to support children within the community.

In the absence of well-developed care and child protection systems in many countries, community based mechanisms can also play a key role supporting children and caretakers in alternative care situations. Child protection Committees, faith based organizations, civil society groups, volunteer associations and other community based groups can provide financial or practical support through schemes that help to fund children’s education or health costs, link them to support services or social assistance schemes, and provide mentorship and family counseling. Home visits and caretaker support groups can also play a valuable role, while awareness raising efforts to promote children’s rights (particularly if supported by community and religious leaders), can help to reduce discrimination against girls and boys in alternative care arrangements – particularly those with disabilities or from minority groups.

As long as they are not over-burdened or given responsibilities beyond their competence, community-based groups can provide vital support to children in alternative care situations. Often however, they are hampered by weak organizational procedures, limited technical capacity and poor coordination. Continued efforts by governments, NGOs and international agencies are needed to promote their institutional development and to enhance their ability to support children.

The literature in this section describes a range of care arrangements that enable children to receive adequate care within their own communities, and community support initiatives that help to sustain them.

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ADP Toolkit for HIV/AIDS Programming: 2004 Edition

World Vision HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative, 2004

Toolkit for the founding and expansion of HIV/AIDS responses in development programs. Includes hands-on tools and support documentation.

Safety Nets for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa

Geoff Foster, 2004

Discusses the interplay between informal and formal safety net mechanisms in supporting orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Includes recommendations for strengthening traditional family and community safety nets weakened by the epidemic.

Inter-agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children

ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, Save the Children UK, and International Rescue Committee, 2004

A comprehensive framework to ensure that the rights and needs of separated children are effectively addressed. Guidelines aim to promote and support preparedness, coordination and good practice based on lessons learned. Addresses all aspects of an emergency from preventing separations, to family tracing and reunification, through to long-term solutions.

The Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Interventions for the Care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Anna Strebel, 2004

A review of interventions for orphaned and vulnerable children that focuses on community-supported, home-based care examples. Highlights several models and programs, such as the COPE approach and Village AIDS Committees. Advocates the need for more research-based interventions and evaluation.

Family Reunification, Alternative Care & Community Reintegration of Separated Children in Post-Conflict Rwanda

Brigette De Lay - IRC, 01 Aug 2003

This paper hopes to contribute to a sorely under-documented field of how to reintegrate institutionalized children back into the community in a post-conflict environment.

A Last Resort: A Growing Concern About Children in Residential Care

Andrew Dunn, Elizabeth Jareg, and Douglas Webb, 2003

This paper outlines the International Save the Children Alliance’s position on residential care. It addresses the proliferation of residential care, its negative impact on children and the need for international attention. The paper presents the work of Save the Children and other agencies in order to highlight relevent issues and to provide a guide for those working with separated children.

Forgotten Families: Older People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Help Age International and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance , 2003

A publication by International AIDS Alliance and HelpAge International provides an overview of the issues identified by older people and orphans and vulnerable children themselves; examples of community-based programs that are improving the lives of older people and orphans and vulnerable children; recommendations that will help to prioritize orphans and their carers within HIV/AIDS and wider development policies, programs and research.

Working with Children in Unstable Situations: Principles and Concepts to Guide Psychosocial Responses

UNICEF, 2003

Discusses the psychosocial impacts of unstable situations on children and their families, with an emphasis on child development. Includes UNICEF’s position on policy and programming principles as well as strategies to address the psychosocial needs of children, families, and communities.

Not Seen or Heard: The Lives of Separated Refugee Children in Dar es Salaam

Gillian Mann, 2003

A study on the lives of separated refugee children in Dar es Salaam. The study highlights their experiences of abuse and discrimination, and their negative perception of refugee camps.

Community Based Care for Separated Children

David Tolfree, 2003

A paper discussing the shortcomings of systems in which separated children are placed into residential/ institutional forms of care. It also considers community-based and some other forms of care as alternative approaches to preventing unnecessary separation of children from their families.