Residential Care

Residential care refers to any group living arrangement where children are looked after by paid staff in a specially designated facility. It covers a wide variety of settings ranging from emergency shelters and small group homes, to larger-scale institutions such as orphanages or children’s homes. As a general rule, residential care should only be provided on a temporary basis, for example while efforts are made to promote family reintegration or to identify family based care options for children. In some cases however, certain forms of residential care can operate as a longer-term care solution for children.

Residential care can be a positive alternative for some girls and boys when it is used appropriately and meets certain standards. For example, small group home living arrangements or supported independent living can work well in cases where children (often older teenagers) don’t feel comfortable in a family setting, or where large groups of siblings want to stay together. Similarly in cases where children have suffered trauma, severe abuse or neglect, have a severe disability or require specialised support, small group settings where trained staff can provide therapeutic care may be an appropriate care option. As much as possible, residential facilities should be small, community-based, organised to resemble a family-type or small-group situation and allow for sufficient staff to provide individualised attention to children.

It is important to distinguish between residential care and institutional care, which should only be used as a last and temporary resort for children. Institutional care refers to large-scale group care within big institutional facilities and has been associated with a wide range of problems for children including physical, social and emotional under-development - with babies and infants under the age of three especially vulnerable to lasting harm. Long periods in an institution can deprive children of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers, make it difficult for them to assimilate back into a family and community, and are often linked to increased risk of sexual and physical abuse, a lack of stimulation, and harsh discipline.

In recent years, deinstitutionalisation has been at the heart of national care reform efforts, which seek to reduce reliance on institutional care and to promote family and community based care options for children instead. This includes efforts to promote ethical volunteerism within residential care centres, educate donors and to avoid proliferation of orphanages and children’s homes after humanitarian emergencies.

The documents in this section outline residential care options for children, examine the damaging impact of institutions, explore family and community-based care alternatives and describe care reform efforts including initiatives around ethical volunteerism.

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Improving Protection for Children without Parental Care: A Call for International Standards

UNICEF and International Social Service, 2004

Outlines problems and issues in providing appropriate out-of-home care solutions. Advocates for development of more comprehensive international standards for out-of-home care.

Transforming Orphanage Care: A Case Example in Zimbabwe

Devi Dee, 2004

An informal evaluation of an NGO residential institution in Zimbabwe, based on the opinions of the child residents. Includes recommendations for the improvement of residential care.

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Forgotten Australians: A report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children

Commonwealth of Australia, 2004

Upwards of, and possibly more than 500 000 Australians experienced care in an orphanage, Home or other form of out-of-home care during the last century. This report shares their stories.

Children in Institutions: Prevention and Alternative Care

Bragi Gudbrandsson, 2004

This report contains an overview of alternative care in Europe, the effects of institutions on children, statistical information and the different approaches of child protection systems within Europe. It includes reforming institutional care, foster care, post-care support, and the role of the social worker.

Stockholm Declaration on Children and Residential Care

Participants of the second international conference on Children and Residential Care, 15 May 2003

This document represents the agreements made at the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care in Stockholm, Sweden, held from 12 to 15 May, 2003. The conference was sponsored by the Swedish Foreign Ministry and the Swedish International Development and Co-operation Agency (Sida). The document includes the principles and actions, regarding children and residential care, that were agreed upon by the participants at the conference.

Orphans in Russia: Policies for family-like alternatives

Jørn Holm-Hansen, Lars B. Kristofersen and Trine Monica Myrvold - Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, 01 Mar 2003

The objective of this research project is to contribute to the process of facilitating a more family-like childhood for Russian orphans.

National Standards for Foster Care: Ireland

Department of Health and Children , 03 Jan 2003

These Standards are based on the relevant legislation, regulation and guidance and best practice derived from evidence based research and professional experience from Ireland and abroad.

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.

Russia Country Report

N/A, 2003

Country report of Russia on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

Designing Research to Study the Effects of Insitutionalization on Brain and Behavioral Development

Charles H. Zeanah, Charles A. Nelson, Nathan A. Fox, 2003

An overview of the largest longitudinal investigation of institutionalized children less than 2 years old ever conducted.