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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Inequalities in educational outcomes in individuals with childhood experience of out-of-home care: What are driving the differences?

Lars Brännström, Hilma Forsman, Bo Vinnerljung, Ylva B. Almquist - PLoS ONE, 20 Apr 2020

In order to be better equipped to design interventions aimed at improving the educational outcomes of children for whom society has assumed responsibility, this study seeks to further our understanding about which factors that contribute to the educational disparities throughout the life course.

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Institutionalization of Children with Disabilities in Croatia: Social Workers' Perspectives

Maja Laklija, Marina Milić Babić & Leah P. Cheatham -Child & Youth Services , 20 Apr 2020

This study aims to advance understanding of social workers’ perceptions of the circumstances necessitating and preventing the placement of children with disabilities (CwDs) in institutions.

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Victimization and substance use among adolescents in residential child care

Sergio Fernández-Artamendi, Alba Águila-Otero, Jorge F. Del Valle, Amaia Bravo - Child Abuse & Neglect, 16 Apr 2020

The present study aimed to evaluate the specific impact of different forms of victimization on alcohol and cannabis use problems among adolescents in Residential Child Care (RCC) in Spain, attending to sex differences.

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Disrupting the disruption cycle - a longitudinal analysis of aggression trajectories, quality of life, psychopathology and self-efficacy in closed youth residential care

Nina Kind, David Bürgin, Vera Clements, Marc Schmid - Children and Youth Services Review, 13 Apr 2020

This study investigated if changes in quality of life (QoL), psychopathological symptoms and perceived self-efficacy predict aggressive behavior trajectories in youths with clinical aggression levels living in closed youth residential care in Germany.

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Alternative Care Thailand, 12 Apr 2020

This animated video from Alternative Care Thailand tells the story of a boy in Thailand who is sent to live in an orphanage because his mother feels she is unable to care for him at home, his experiences with volunteers once he arrives at the orphanage, and how the orphanage transitioned to supporting children to live in families.

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La Protection Des Enfants Durant La Pandémie De COVID-19: Les enfants et la protection de remplacement

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Cette fiche technique vise à soutenir les praticiens de la protection de l’enfance et les responsables gouvernementaux dans leur réponse immédiate aux problèmes de protection des enfants qui risquent d’être séparés de leur famille ou qui sont placés sous protection de remplacement durant la pandémie de COVID-19.

Proteção de crianças e adolescentes durante a pandemia de COVID-19 Crianças, adolescentes e cuidados alternativos

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

O objetivo desta Nota Técnica é auxiliar os representantes governamentais e os profissionais que atuam na proteção da criança e do adolescente em sua resposta imediata às preocupações relativas à proteção de crianças e adolescentes que estão em risco de separação ou sob cuidados alternativos durante a pandemia de COVID-19.

Приложение к Технической Записке Защита Детей во Время Пандемии COVID-19: Дети и Альтернативный Уход

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Данный сопроводительный документ к технической записке «Защита Детей во Время Пандемии COVID-19: Дети и Альтернативный Уход» содержит полезные рекомендации, которые помогут привлечь к участию все заинтересованные стороны.

Annexe à la Fiche Technique Interorganisations sur la Protection des Enfants Durant la Pandémie de Covid-19: Les Enfants et la Protection de Remplacement

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Ce document qui accompagne la Fiche Technique interorganisations sur la Protection des enfants durant la pandémie de COVID-19 : les enfants et la protection de remplacement fournit des conseils utiles pour promouvoir l’implication et la participation de toutes les parties prenantes, qui sont indispensables pour maintenir la continuité des services pour les enfants.

La Protezione Dei Bambini Durante La Pandemia di COVID-19: Bambini ed accoglienza etero-familiare

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

L’obiettivo della presente nota tecnica è di aiutare i professionisti di protezione dell’infanzia e i funzionari governativi nelle loro azioni di risposta immediata ai problemi relativi alla protezione dell’infanzia affrontati dai bambini a rischio di separazione o in affido etero-familiare durante la pandemia di COVID-19.