Supported Child Headed Households

A child-headed household is one where there are no adult carers available and children live on their own. Typically an older child will care for siblings, cousins, nephews or nieces. Such a situation is increasingly common in areas with high AIDS mortality and regions affected by genocide or war.

Research has shown that there are a variety of reasons why a sibling group may live on its own. It may be the only way to remain together, the best way to retain the use and ownership of their parents’ land and home, or the only option available.

Some child-headed households are supported by extended family members and others are entirely on their own. A child-headed household may be extremely vulnerable, or it may have strong family and community links and living in acceptable circumstances. External agencies must consider carefully how best to support a child-headed household or whether an alternative care option would be better. Direct provision of aid by an outside organization has been shown to undermine community support to child-headed households, and some agencies have found that the best way to provide care is through community structures.

Child-headed households typically require support in order to ensure their access to basic health, nutrition, shelter, and education. They will also need legal protection in order to receive information on inheritance and property rights. Governments must consider how to ensure such services are available and how child-headed households can be supported in a comparable way to kinship or foster care arrangements. Any social assistance policy must take care not to encourage separation from adult caretakers.

Child-headed households are best protected when included in the community and its activities. Projects should not isolate children in such households and should work to empower them to gain greater control over their futures e.g. via education and vocational training.

The literature contained here gives an overview of the situation of child headed households in various settings, and examples of child care policies required in supporting them.

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Evaluarea Îngrijirii Alternative a Copilului în Moldova 1

Molly Cannon, Camelia Gheorghe, Moldova country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report, in the Moldovan lanugage, presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at informing action planning to address priority needs identified in alternative care for children in Moldova.

Assessing Alternative Care for Children in Ghana

Mari Hickman, Bashiru Adams, Ghana country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report presents the findings of an assessment of Ghana's national alternative care system aimed at supporting the government and its partners in continuing to advance alternative care.

Evaluarea Îngrijirii Alternative a Copilului în Moldova 2

Molly Cannon, Camelia Gheorghe, Moldova country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report, in the Moldovan langauge, presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at informing action planning to address priority needs identified in alternative care for children in Moldova.

Assessing Alternative Care for Children in Moldova (Volume 1)

Molly Cannon, Camelia Gheorghe, Moldova country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at informing action planning to address priority needs identified in alternative care for children in Moldova.

Assessing Alternative Care for Children in Armenia

Zulfiya Charyeva, Hasmik Ghukasyan, Armenia country core team - MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, 01 Jun 2018

This report presents the findings of an assessment workshop aimed at bringing together key stakeholders—decision makers, policy developers, service providers, civil society representatives, and donors—to assess and identify the main care reform areas in Armenia in which action is needed.

Child-headed Households in Rural Zimbabwe: Perceptions of Shona Orphaned Children

Eucharia Gomba - Theses & Dissertations, 01 May 2018

This qualitative ethnographic case study explored the phenomenon of Child- Headed Households (CHHs) in rural Zimbabwe from the perspectives of a Shona community.

Emerging Practice of Alternative Care for Children in Cambodia Research Findings - Summary Report

Family Care First (FCF) - USAID, Save the Children, Holt International, Department of Social Work of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, 2018

Family Care First (FCF) supported the study and documentation of existing reintegration and alternative family care services provided by seven implementing partners in Cambodia. This brief includes an outline of key findings of the study and concludes with recommendations based on those findings.

Investing in Innovation - Transformation of the Dominant Care Model: Emerging Practice of Alternative Care for Children in Cambodia Research Findings

Family Care First, 2018

This study and documentation of existing reintegration and alternative family care services in Cambodia was designed to build the capacity of existing service providers to take emerging good practice to scale as an increased number of residential care institutions transition.

The experience with independent living services for youth in care and those formerly in care

Heather M. Thompson, Armeda Stevenson Wojciak, Morgan E. Cooley - Children and Youth Services Review, 10 Nov 2017

The purpose of this study was to describe the receipt of independent living services of youth who were formerly in care and who are currently living independently, while also looking at the skills and resources of youth who are currently in foster care in the US.

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Care Reform in Armenia Achievements and Challenges

Sona Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, 11 Sep 2017

This presentation from the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia provides an overview of the demographic data of Armenia and offers a thorough review of the situation of children's care, and care reform efforts, in Armenia.