Child Care Institutions in Selected Districts in Uganda and the Situation of Children in Care Baseline Survey Report: ‘Strong Beginnings – A Family for all Children’ Project
2015
Uganda
This country page features an interactive, icon-based data dashboard providing a national-level overview of the status of children’s care and care reform efforts (a “Country Care Snapshot”), along with a list of resources and organizations in the country.
demographic_data
45.70 million
Total Population
Population Reference Bureau, 2020
25.14 million
People
Total Population Under 18
Estimate
55%
Population Under 18
Census report, 2014
4.7
People
Mean Household Size
Census report, 2014
28.3%
Prevalence of Female-Headed Households
2018-2019 MIS
Low Income Country
World Bank GNI Status
World Bank, 2019
41.7%
Living Below Poverty Line
Human Development Report 2019
42.8
GINI Coefficient
World Bank, 2016
0.528
Human Development Index
Human Development Report 2019
childrens_living_arrangement
%
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
52.3%
Living with Both Parents
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016
27.2%
Living with One Parent
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016
19.9%
Living with Neither Parent
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016
%
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
children_living_without_bio
78%
Both Parents Alive
DHS 2016
17%
One Parent Dead
DHS 2016
6%
Both Parents Dead
DHS 2016
23%
Children Living Below Poverty Line
Situation Analysis of Children in Uganda 2019 (MGLSD & UNICEF, 2019)
15%
Children Engaged in Child Labor
UBOS (2018). National Labour Force Survey 2016/17. Kampala, Uganda: Uganda Bureau of Statistics
i
2 million children
7.5%
Children with Disabilities
UBOS and UNICEF (2018) Uganda Functional Difficulties Survey: Indicators Report. Kampala: Uganda Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF
i
Children aged 2-4 years: 3.5%, Children aged 5-17 years: 7.5%
Children Affected by HIV
950,000
children
CDC, 2018
i
Estimated orphans due to AIDS: 950,000. Prevalence of HIV among children aged 0-14: 0.5% (The Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), 2017)
59%
Children Experiencing Violence
MGLSD (2018). Uganda Violence Against Children Survey. Kampala: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
i
Prevalence of past-year physical violence against children, age 13-17 years (M/F): 59%/44%
Prevalence of past-year emotional violence against children, age 13-17 years: 22.8/22.2%
Prevalence of past-year Sexual violence against children, age 13-17 years: 11%/25%
% children (13-17 years) who experienced physical violence (in the last 12 months) by a parent, adult caregiver (Male/Female): 21.7/18.7
9.1%
Children Who Have Lost One or Both Parents
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016
19.9%
Children Who Are Not Living with Either of their Biological Parents
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Family-Based Alternative Care
- - Families/Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Foster Care
- - Foster Families/Foster Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Formal Kinship Care
- - Families/Parents
- - Children
i
Currently no data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Residential Care
- - Settings
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Approved Children's Homes
142 Settings
- - Children
List of Approved Homes as per November 2019 (MGLSD, 2019)
90.3%
Children with Both Parents Alive
DHS 2016
8%
Children with One Parent Alive
DHS 2016
1.1%
Children with Both Parents Dead
DHS 2016
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Social Welfare Spending
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Alternative Care Policy in Line with the 2009 Guidelines
Partly
The National Alternative Care Framework (NFAC)
i
The National Alternative Care Framework (NFAC) was developed in 2012. It provides a framework for delivering and facilitating access to appropriate alternative care options for children deprived of parental care, including guidance on placement of children in
need of alternative care. The framework is currently undergoing revision.
Commitment to Deinstitutionalistion
Yes
The National Action Plan on Alternative Care for Children 2016/2017–2020/2021
i
Reflected in the The National Action Plan on Alternative Care for Children 2016/2017–2020/2021 and recent guidelines on the closure pf Children's Homes
Comprehensive Child Protection Law
Partly
The Children Act, Cap 29 (Amended in 2016)
i
A suite of laws are in place, yet gaps exist. The Children Act, Cap 29 (Amended in 2016) is the primarily legislation on care and protection for children.
Continuum of Alternative Care Services Available
Yes
The National Action Plan on Alternative Care for Children 2016/2017–2020/2021
Data System
No
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
No centralized database or management information system
Existence of a Regulatory Body and Regulatory System
Yes
Provided for in the Children's Act, Cap 59 (Amended in 2016)
Gatekeeping Mechanism/Policy
Yes
The Children Act, Cap 59 (amended in 2016) and the National Framework for Alternative Care (NFAC)
i
The Children Act, Cap 59 (amended in 2016) and the National Framework for Alternative Care (NFAC) delineate a standard process for the referral or admission of a child to an alternative care setting, including procedures to screen referrals, authorize placement of children, and ensure admission safeguards, to guarantee the appropriate use of alternative care
Means of Tracking Progress with Reforms
No
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Moratorium on Admission into Institutions for Children Under 3
Yes
National Alternative Care Framework, 2012 and Action Plan (2016/17–2020/21)
Moratorium on New Institutions
No
NO SOURCE GIVEN
National Action Plan to Guide Reforms
Yes
National Action Plan on Alternative Care for Children 2016/2017–2020/2021
i
The Plan is currently under review.
National Standards of Care
Partly
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Minimum standards exists for some care options (residential care, foster care). Standards of practice or basic minimum standards applicable to the provision of other care services (supported independent living, adoption, guardianship) do not exist.
Prevention of Separation Services Available
Yes
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Some existing programs, primarily run by civil society organizations, provide services that seek to strengthen families
Support for Careleavers (in Legislation and in Practice)
Limited
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Needs of careleavers are not reflected in the current legal and policy framework. The Uganda Care Leavers Project brings together care leavers to share their experiences, learn from one another, and work together to pursue common goals.
social_work_force
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Country
Minimum standards and competency framework for social work education and training
Yes
MGLSD in collaboration with the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), 2019
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
A national workforce assessment and analysis carried out within the past four years
Yes
Reference: Bulwani, G.K., & Twikirize, J. M. (2019). Functional Review of the Government Social Service Workforce in Relation to Child Protection. Kampala: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development & USAID.
i
A functional review of the government social service workforce in relation to child protection was carried out in 2019.
A system of licensing/registration of social service professionals
No
NO SOURCE GIVEN
key_stakeholders
Key Stakeholders
Add New DataCountry
Government
i
Lead ministry responsible for coordinating and overseeing all aspects of care reform and alternative care for children in Uganda. The lead department for care reform in the MGLSD is the Department of Youth and Children Affairs under the Directorate of Social Protection. The MGLSD is also responsible for the development and implementation of social protection policies and programs to support and protect families. The ministry hosts several coordination structures related to care reform. For example, the National Child Protection Working Group was established in 2009 as a coordination forum for agencies and government ministries/departments working in the child protection subsector with a mandate for child protection.
i
Responsible for the provision of universal, quality, and accessible basic education, and support for quality early learning program development and registration.
i
Responsible for planning, resourcing, and monitoring public expenditures on childcare and protection allocations approved by the Cabinet.
i
Responsible for the provision of health and nutrition programs, for parenting support programs, and for early learning support for parents of children between the ages of zero and two years through health facilities and home visits by mother and child community workers. The MOH is also responsible for conducting health and safety inspections of residential care facilities every six months.
i
Courts of law make decisions about the removal of a child from a family, about the most appropriate and beneficial care and protection placements, and the protection of children’s and their caregiver’s rights and responsibilities.
i
Houses the Child and Family Protection Unit in the police force, which is responsible for handling cases of child abuse, neglect, and children in conflict with the law, among other matters. The Unit is responsible for background checks on children, providing referrals or counselling services to children, community policing, and placing children in residential care facilities.
i
The Community-Based Services Departments under the MOLG are mandated to plan, manage, and deliver welfare services to children and other vulnerable groups, working in collaboration with other key government departments represented at the district level, including the District Education Office, the District Directorate of Health Services, the police, district/resident state attorneys, and district courts. Responsibility for overseeing childcare and child protection services in the Community-Based Services Departments lies with the district PSWOs. They are assisted in their duties by CDOs and assistant CDOs at the subnational level. Probation and social welfare officers are mandated to remove children in need of protection and place them in residential care or foster care; assist children to be reunited with their parents or guardians; and prepare reports for the court to help determine whether adoption would be in the best interests of a child, among other duties. Local government is responsible for ensuring that approved children’s homes meet minimum infrastructural health and safety standards through regular inspections and monitoring.
i
Responsible for protecting children against maltreatment and prosecuting cases of violence, crime, abuse, and neglect of children
i
Responsible for birth registration and the provision of identity documents. The NIRA is also mandated to maintain the registry on adoption.
i
Mandated to maintain registers on legal guardianship.
Civil Society Organisations
Children At risk Action Network (CRANE)
World Education Inc. /Bantwana (WEI/B)
Effective
Other Relevant Reforms
Add New DataEffective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Child Protection
i
On June 22, 2020, the Cabinet approved a National Child Policy (NCP) to replace the National Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC) policy (NOP), 2004. The policy was developed following a comprehensive review of the NOP and the second National Strategic Programme Plan of Interventions (NSPPI) for OVC (NSPPI 2), 2011/12—2015/16. The NCP includes childcare and protection as one of the four national priorities and underscores the need to strengthen and support families to care for children and ensure access to quality and disability-inclusive alternative family-based care options for children without parental care. In addition, the National Framework for Alternative Care (NFAC) is currently undergoing revisions to address specific gaps identified during the participatory care reform assessment conducted in 2018 and to reflect changes in the legislation. In addition, new a national plan of action for alternative (2020/21-2025/16) is currently under development
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Education
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
A National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy of Uganda was developed in 2016. The goal of the policy is to provide direction and guidance to all sectors for quality, inclusive, coordinated and well-funded ECD services and programs. The NIECD policy Action Plan
provides a clear implementation framework to integrate and coordinate interventions within and across different sectors and defines the roles and responsibilities of key sectors involved in ECD.
drivers_of_institutionalisation
Drivers of Institutionaliziation
Add New DataCountry
Push Factors
Financial and Material Poverty
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Child Abandonment
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Violence, abuse, neglect of child/children in household, conflict in household
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Death of parent/caregiver
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Child Disability, Learning difficulty, Chronic Illness
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Parental separation or divorce
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Parental disability (physical/cognitive/emotional)
Limited family and community-based services
Pull Factors
Access to basic social services (e.g. education services)
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Existence of Institutions
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Orphanage tourism and volunteering
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Child recruitment and trafficking
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Foreign funding and donor preferences
i
(Walakira, Dumba-Nyanzi, & Bukenya, 2015; Ddumba-Nyanzi, et al., 2019; Riley, 2012)
Effective
key_research_and_information
Key Data Sources
Add New DataCountry
The Children Act (Uganda)
01 Aug 1997
Country Care Review: Uganda
12 May 2016
Prevalence and number of children living in institutional care: global, regional, and country estimates
06 Mar 2020
The National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy Action Plan (2016-2021) of Uganda
01 Mar 2016
Catholic Care for Children in Uganda: A Family for Every Child - Findings from a Midterm Evaluation
2021
Effective
Acknowledgements
Data for this country care snapshot was contributed by a consultant with the Data for Impact (D4I) Project at Palladium Group LLC.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 415
This article examines how national care systems for orphans and vulnerable children in Cambodia, Uganda, and Zambia are governed, drawing on case studies and a review of existing research. It highlights the gap between strong policy commitments and weak on-the-ground implementation, pointing to historical, political, and capacity-related factors that hinder effective care and protection.
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This webinar showcased the learning from Strengthening the Social Service Workforce for Family-Based Care, a two-year project implemented by the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, with technical support from Child Frontiers, under a grant f
This paper outlines the development of a community-led child protection approach (Seeds), created through a multi-stage process involving a systematic literature review, formative research in Uganda and Lebanon, a field test in Sri Lanka, a feasibility study in Colombia, and expert review, resulting in a six-phase model designed to strengthen children’s protection and their sense of safety.
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Alarmingly high numbers of Ugandan children experience or are at risk of experiencing abuse and neglect. This article analyzes the state of priority for and quality of governance of Uganda’s formal system for the care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
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This special issue of the Children and Youth Services Review concerns the governance of children's care systems in low and middle-income countries, with a focus on Cambodia, Uganda and Zambia. The special issue focuses on the political and bureaucratic factors that shape priority for and the effectiveness of national children's care systems in low and middle-income countries.
Uganda’s first mapping study on parenting interventions (2020–2021) highlighted the need for evidence-based approaches and clear delivery guidelines to strengthen parenting programming. In response, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development developed a parenting manual to harmonize stakeholders’ efforts, streamline programming, and strengthen families nationwide.
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Supervised independent living involves a child or young person living without an adult but receiving regular supervision, guidance, mentoring and monitoring from an assigned adult mentor. This case study explores lessons learned from three non-governmental organisation (NGO) programmes in Uganda.
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This video describes lessons learnt from the use of supervised independent living in Uganda for adolescents and young adult care leavers.
This article uses Nancy Fraser’s social justice framework to examine the experiences of youth leaving care in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, drawing on interviews with 45 care-leavers conducted by peer researchers. Findings reveal how intersecting injustices—such as stigma, exclusion, and lack of resources—undermine their transition to adulthood, underscoring the need for stronger aftercare services, recognition of diverse identities, and greater youth participation in shaping policy and support.
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