Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CABA)
01 May 2015
Thailand
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
69.63 million
Total Population
World Bank, 2019
16.43 million
People
Total Population Under 18
Estimate
23.6%
Population Under 18
MICS, 2015-2016
3.7
People
Mean Household Size
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019
40%
Prevalence of Female-Headed Households
MICS 2019
Upper Middle Income Country
World Bank GNI Status
World Bank, 2019
9.9%
Living Below Poverty Line
World Bank, 2018
36.4
GINI Coefficient
World Bank, 2018
0.765
Human Development Index
UNDP
childrens_living_arrangement
%
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
53.7%
Living with Both Parents
MICS 2019
21.4%
Living with One Parent
MICS 2019
23.5%
Living with Neither Parent
MICS 2019
%
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
children_living_without_bio
97.7%
Living in Kinship Care
MICS 2019
0.2%
Living With a Non-Relative
MICS 2019
94%
Both Parents Alive
MICS 2019
5%
One Parent Dead
MICS 2019
0.9%
Both Parents Dead
MICS 2019
Children living below poverty line
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year, shows abandonment and poverty as the main drivers behind children being placed in government residential care facilities.
Children with Disabilities
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Findings from UNICEF's research show that the risk of separation is shaped and experienced because of the complex interactions of multiple drivers, including inability of parents/care givers to look after a child (for a range of reasons, and particularly in the case of children with special needs, multiple special needs, and children living with HIV).
Children affected by HIV
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Findings from UNICEF's research show that the risk of separation is shaped and experienced because of the complex interactions of multiple drivers, including inability of parents/care givers to look after a child (for a range of reasons, and particularly in the case of children with special needs, multiple special needs, and children living with HIV).
Children Experiencing Violence
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Findings from UNICEF's research show that the risk of separation is shaped and experienced because of the complex interactions of multiple drivers, including neglect and abuse, especially in the family (including physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as exploitation).
Children Whose Parents/Caregivers Are Unable to Look After Them
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Findings from UNICEF's research show that the risk of separation is shaped and experienced because of the complex interactions of multiple drivers, including inability of parents/care givers to look after a child (for a range of reasons, and particularly in the case of children with special needs, multiple special needs, and children living with HIV).
Children who have been abandoned
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
i
Findings from UNICEF's research show that the risk of separation is shaped and experienced because of the complex interactions of multiple drivers, including abandonment.
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Family-Based Alternative Care
- - Families/Parents
5,250 Children
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Foster Care
- - Foster Families/Foster Parents
250 Children
i
According to UNICEF, 0.5% of the approximately 50,000 children in alternative care in Thailand live in foster care
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Formal Kinship Care
- - Families/Parents
5,000 Children
i
According to UNICEF, 10% of the approximately 50,000 children in alternative care in Thailand live in registered kinship care. Formalised kinship care in Thailand falls under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security within the Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW) and is handled by the Child Adoption Centre (CAC). For the 2015 fiscal year (October 2014-September 2015), the Child Adoption Centre was allocated a budget of 120 million baht (approximately 4 million USD) with a target group of 5,000 children to support in registered kinship care families.
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Total Residential Care
- - Settings
44,750 Children
i
According to UNICEF, there are almost 50,000 children living in various residential care settings in Thailand as of 2014. The majority of the children, or 67.4%, reside in the 51 government boarding schools throughout Thailand that in many cases function as residential care, followed by government residential care facilities (14.7%), registered kinship care (10%), private registered residential care (4.7%), non-registered private residential care (1.8%), provincial Shelters for Children and Families (0.9%), and foster care (0.5%).
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Government Boarding Schools
51 Settings
33,700 Children
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Government Residential Care Facilities
- - Settings
7,350 Children
i
The full definition of residential/institutional care as declared by the Thai government, under the Child Protection Act of 2003, and with additional information provided by UNICEF, is as follows: "Institutional / Residential Care: Care provided in any non-family based group setting, such as places of safety for emergency care, transit centres in emergency situations, and all other forms of short and long term residential care facilities, including group homes."
According to UNICEF (2015), there are approximately 50,000 children in residential care in Thailand. 67.4% are in government boarding schools, 14.7% are in government residential care facilities, 1% are in provincial Shelters for Children and Families, 4.7% are in private registered residential care, and 1.8% are in non-registered private residential care.
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Private Registered Residential Care
- - Settings
2,350 Children
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Non-Registered Private Residential Care
- - Settings
900 Children
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Provincial Shelters for Children and Families
- - Settings
450 Children
Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
adoption
NO DATA AVAIABLE
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
2,303
children
Domestic Adoption
Source: HCCH, 2013; Date Range: 2011-2013
i
Based on HCCH Annual Statistics for 2011-2013 available, 2303 children were placed for domestic adoption while 344 were placed out for inter-country adoption.
344
children
Inter-country Adoption
Source: HCCH, 2013; Date Range: 2011-2013
i
Based on HCCH Annual Statistics for 2011-2013, 2303 children were placed for domestic adoption while 344 were placed out for inter-country adoption.
NO DATA AVAIABLE
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
95.5%
Children with Both Parents Alive
MICS 2019
2.9%
Children with One Parent Alive
MICS 2019
0.2%
Children with Both Parents Dead
MICS 2019
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
Limited
Source: UNICEF, 2015
i
The inadequate harmonization of the current legal framework with the CRC is evident in the 2003 Child Protection Act (Article 33) which actually facilitates long-term institutionalisation – up to 24 years of age - and undermines efforts to prioritize family-based care. This runs counter to the principles of the UN Guidelines of necessity, suitability as well as the best interest of the child and substantially undermines gatekeeping practices. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Commitment to Deinstitutionalistion
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Comprehensive Child Protection Law
Partly
Source: UNICEF, 2015
i
Over the last 15 years, Thailand has made significant progress towards placing alternative care for children within the broader legal and policy context of child protection. However, there are still challenges to realize a coordinated multi-sectoral system approach. This situation is largely due to the fragmentation of the current legal and policy framework governing child protection that results in confusion of roles, responsibilities, and accountability at all levels. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Continuum of Alternative Care Services Available
Partly
Source: UNICEF, 2015
i
Thailand utilizes residential care, formal kinship care, and foster care. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Data System
No
Source: UNICEF, 2015
i
Government residential care facilities (as well as some private facilities) collect data and report this to the provincial and national levels, but this information is not compiled into a shared national database of children in alternative care. As a result, facilities often face challenges when they do not receive complete information about the child or when case management information is not transferred from one agency to another. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Existence of a Regulatory Body and Regulatory System
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Gatekeeping Mechanism/Policy
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Means of Tracking Progress with Reforms
Yes
Tracking Progress Initiative
i
The Thailand Alternative Care CRC Group began using the Tracking Progress Initiative Tool in late 2018
Moratorium on Admission into Institutions for Children Under 3
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Moratorium on New Institutions
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
National Action Plan to Guide Reforms
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
National Standards of Care
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Prevention of Separation Services Available
Limited
Source: UNICEF, 2015
i
UNICEF Situational Analysis of Children and Women in Thailand 2011 found that, although poverty levels continued to fall between 1992 and 2009, “Most families in Thailand have no access to family support services to help them through difficult times.” The UNICEF findings also pointed to the urgency to strengthen preventive services for child protection and ensuring provision of welfare services along with development of services targeting poor families, families at risk, families with member living with HIV/AIDS or affected by AIDS, and families with elderly caregivers. In their 2015 Review, UNICEF also notes "Fragmentation of legal and policy framework and lack of a multisectoral implementation strategy for alternative care with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and mechanisms for coordination and accountability (everybody is responsible but nobody is ultimately accountable)." Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Support for Careleavers (in Legislation and in Practice)
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
social_work_force
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Country
Association of Social Workers
Yes
Social Workers Association of Thailand (SWAT), Thai Association of Social Work and Social Welfare Education (TASWE)
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
A national workforce assessment and analysis carried out within the past four years
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
A system of licensing/registration of social service professionals
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
key_stakeholders
Key Stakeholders
Add New DataCountry
Government
Bureau of Anti-Trafficking in Women and Children
Office of Women’s Affairs and Family Development
Civil Society Organisations
Effective
drivers_of_institutionalisation
Drivers of Institutionaliziation
Add New DataCountry
Push Factors
Poverty
i
Data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year, shows abandonment and poverty as the main drivers behind children being placed in government residential care facilities. Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 14.98% were placed because of poverty, according to the data. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Child Abandonment
i
Data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year, shows abandonment and poverty as the main drivers behind children being placed in government residential care facilities. Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 16.88% were placed because of abandonment, according to the data. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Inability of Parents to Provide Proper Care
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 7.36% were placed because of Inability of Parents to Provide Proper Care, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Parents' Imprisonment
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 7.21% were placed because of Parents' Imprisonment, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Behavioural Problems of Children
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 6.07% were placed because of Behavioural Problems of Children, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Orphanhood
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 6.03% were placed because of Orphanhood, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Divorce
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 5.97% were placed because of Divorce, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Unwanted Pregnancy
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 5.79% were placed because of Unwanted Pregnancy , according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Abuse from Family Members
i
Of the children placed in 29 Government Residential Care Facilities, 4.62% were placed because of Abuse from Family Members, according to data collected by the Bureau of Women and Child Protection & Welfare (BWCPW) for 2015 fiscal year. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Pull Factors
Education
i
Some private facilities can also be described as acting as ‘pull factors’ for the institutionalisation of children – particularly those facilities that are actively promoted as providing education and other options to children from remote and disadvantaged communities. Source: Review of Alternative Care in Thailand: Policy to Implementation with Special Focus on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2015)
Effective
key_research_and_information
Key Data Sources
Add New DataCountry
Thailand Alternative Care Case Study
16 Sep 2025
Prevalence and number of children living in institutional care: global, regional, and country estimates
06 Mar 2020
Effective
Displaying 101 - 101 of 101
In this video, One Sky Foundation describes its work to strengthen families and keep children out of children's homes in the Thai-Burma border district of Sangkhlaburi.