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 study explores the policy environment for children cared for by grandparents in Libode, Eastern Cape, South Africa, finding no specific policies to guide or support such caregiving. It recommends developing dedicated policies, resources, and information to better equip grandparents, while contributing new insights to scholarship and informing policymakers.

This study investigated how conditions in orphanages—such as limited resources, unstable relationships, and overcrowding—affect children’s personality development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, using surveys of both caregivers and orphans. Findings showed that these factors negatively impact self-esteem and overall development, highlighting the need for greater government investment, adequate resources, and specialized caregiver training in child psychology and development.

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.

As they walked through arrivals at Manchester Airport, a couple seemed to be behaving oddly towards their baby. Something did not sit right with Border Force officers.

This study found that parental poverty is a key factor pushing children in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria into street life, where deprivation drives them to engage in delinquent activities such as theft, drug peddling, and begging. The findings highlight urgent gaps in child welfare and social protection, calling for targeted interventions to address poverty, improve access to education and healthcare, and strengthen support systems.

This report, based on a study across nine countries, examines how to strengthen the community-level social welfare workforce (CLSWW) as a vital but under-resourced part of national child protection systems. It calls for context-specific strategies that clearly define roles and competencies, build capacity, and align with local norms, mechanisms, and resources to enhance child protection outcomes.

This study examined the geographical location of fostered children in Kenya, identified who provides their care and the nature of mothers’ relationships with these caregivers, explored transitions and mobility within kin networks, and analyzed how location and distance influence maternal–child contact.

The Qualitative Assessment of How the 3B/4D Social Cohesion Approach Effects Disability-Related Social Exclusion in Zambia by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) highlights the Inclusive Family Strengthening (IFS) project's significant impact on reducing disability-related social exclusion. The project utilized introspection, intragroup and intergroup connections, and action to foster empathy, acceptance, and support for children with disabilities.