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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Outreach Work: Child Sexual Exploitation - A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Silvie Bovarnick, Di McNeish and Jenny Pearce , 01 Sep 2016

This briefing is based on a rapid review of the available literature on outreach work with children and young people. It is intended to provide the ReachOut project with an overview of different approaches to outreach; what it generally aims to achieve; what distinguishes it from centre-based work and how it is applicable to children and young people involved in, or at risk of, child sexual exploitation.

Navigating support, resilience, and care: Exploring the impact of informal social networks on the rehabilitation and care of young female survivors of sexual violence in northern Uganda

Stark, Lindsay; Landis, Debbie; Thomson, Blake; Potts, Alina Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, Vol 22(3), 01 Aug 2016

This study examines the experiences of young female survivors of sexual violence in northern Uganda in order to explore the variety of roles (both positive and negative) that informal support networks played in contributing to survivors’ healing, recovery, and reintegration.

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Alcohol management plans in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) may have unintended implications for the care of children

Katrina Bird, Michelle S. Fitts and Alan R. Clough - Health & Justice, 18 Jul 2016

This paper discusses a large evaluation study that attempts to describe the impacts of the alcohol control laws enacted in various indigenous communities. Participants were interviewed and asked to give their thoughts on how the laws have affected them medically, economically and socially.

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The Evidence Base on the Social Service Workforce: Current Knowledge, Gaps and Future Research Direction - BUILDING EVIDENCE INTEREST GROUP REPORT

Jini L. Roby, JD, MSW, MS - Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, 01 Jul 2016

The purpose of this report is to review the current conditions of the global social workforce. This study is meant to identify critical gaps in order prioritize current workforce strengthening research.

The Role of Community Care Coalition for Child Protection in Assosa City

Abebe Senbeta - Addis Ababa University - The School of Social Work, 01 Jun 2016

This study investigates the effects of Community Care Coalitions on child protection in Assosa City, Ethiopia. It explores services and strategies employed by Community Care Coalitions to address child protection, as well as challenges faced by Community Care Coalitions while attempting to provide these services.

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Improving Health and Social Outcomes for Children through the Use of a Community Caregiver Service Provision Model in Côte d’Ivoire

Andrew M. Muriuki, Samuel Y. Andoh, Hannah Newth, Kendra Blackett-Dibinga, Djedje Biti - Global Social Welfare, 23 Apr 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that the use of a Community Caregiver service provision model had on outcomes for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in Côte d’Ivoire.

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Protecting Indonesian Children: Save the Children Indonesia's Families First Signature Program

Save the Children Indonesia, 06 Mar 2016

This animated video describes Indonesia's Families First Signature Program which began in 2005. The goal of Families First is to ensure that every child in Indonesia has a safe, family environment, recognizing that family-based care is best for child development. The video describes how the Signature Program has helped shift care away from institutions towards family-based care.

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Study Brief: CCWC Functionality for Child Protection: Protecting Cambodia’s Children? The Role of Commune Committees for Women and Children and Informal Community-based Child Protection Mechanisms in Cambodia

World Vision, 01 Mar 2016

This Study Brief provides a brief snapshot of the findings from a study of the functionality of Commune Committees for Women and Children (CCWCs) in Cambodia.

Ishema Mu Muryango: Pride for the Family - Stories of Successful Reintegration in Rwanda

Global Communities and Hope and Homes for Children, 19 Feb 2016

This report highlights stories of some children, youth and families who have been assisted under the Ishema Mu Muryango program. While each of their stories is unique, all highlight some common themes about institutionalization and child abandonment in Rwanda.

Video: 5 years later and we don't need an orphanage

Child's i Foundation, 29 Jan 2016

Five years ago, Child's i Foundation founder Lucy Buck set up a 25-bed 'transitional facility' to prove it was possible to place children in need of care into permanent families. Childs' i Foundation piloted an 'emergency care pilot' to see i

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