This literature review compares the child protection systems of Seychelles, Ghana, Kenya, and Sierra Leone with a shared colonial history under Britain to identify similarities and differences and to understand the implications of the operating child protection system on child protection social workers. Based on the findings, the paper argues for a system that empowers child protection social workers to work with discretion in the child's best interest rather than within a restrictive, controlled system.

The Kafaalah Costing Tool Template is an Excel-based costing tool that designed to analyze of historical costing data from Changing the Way We Care’s demonstration work in Kenya related to Kafaalah.

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.

This paper explores strategies to prevent the separation of children from their families, drawing on evidence from Eastern and Southern Africa. It highlights the importance of strong care systems, holistic family support, and coordinated services to keep children safely within their families and communities.

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.

Over the past decade, Rwanda has reformed its care system to prioritize family-based care, with recent efforts focusing on supporting children with disabilities through a multi-sector, community-based approach. This short case study explains why this integrated model is important to prevent family separation, outlines the key components of this approach, and provides some lessons learnt from the pilot.

This video describes lessons learnt from the use of supervised independent living in Uganda for adolescents and young adult care leavers.

This report synthesizes learning on community-led child protection in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and India. It shows the power of communities' own agency and action on behalf of children and underscores the importance of ownership.

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.

Adoption in Zimbabwe, while intended to provide stable families for children without parental care, often marginalizes adopted adolescents by excluding them from decisions, limiting transparency, and severing cultural ties. This study highlights the emotional distress and identity challenges this creates and calls for more inclusive, transparent, and culturally grounded adoption practices that uphold children’s rights and voices.