The article reports that the ongoing US-Israeli war in the Middle East is having a severe and long-lasting impact on children across the region, with hundreds killed and thousands injured and over a million displaced, particularly in Lebanon, Gaza

Over the past year, the Leadership Dialogue Series, hosted by Miracle Foundation India and India Alternative Care Network (IACN), has brought together leaders from government, civil society, academia, youth, philanthropy, and the private sector to reflect on how systems can better strengthen families and prevent the unnecessary separation of children. As they conclude the 2025-26 series, the 10th edition of Leadership Dialogues will focus on a critical question: How do we know if family strengthening efforts are truly working?

This article argues that poverty is a major driver of family separation in Pakistan, forcing many parents to place their children in orphanages or care institutions not out of choice, but as a survival strategy.

This report examines the transition of young people aging out of institutional care into independent adulthood. It highlights how many care leavers face significant challenges after turning 18, including limited access to education, employment, and stable housing, as well as a lack of life skills and supportive social networks.

Institutional mechanisms established under India’s Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Integrated Child Protection Scheme play a central role in safeguarding children’s rights through case management, rehabilitation, and coordination. This systematic review of literature (2010–2025) finds that while these systems are essential, they face persistent challenges such as limited resources, inadequate training, and weak monitoring, with improved outcomes linked to community-based and rights-based approaches.

This study reviews existing research on the challenges faced by orphans in Jammu and Kashmir, India, highlighting that while some children remain with extended family, others are placed in orphanages when relatives cannot provide care. The review finds that orphans in the region face multiple social, economic, psychological, and health challenges throughout their lives.

This session, during Dasra Philanthrophy Week, brings together thought leaders, policymakers, funders, and civil society actors to reflect on where children are being missed, why risks go unidentified, and how systems can be strengthened. Drawing from policy, practice, and lived realities, the conversation will explore how early identification and cross-sector coordination can enable stronger and more timely child protection responses.

This article notes how a pan-India study revealed that thousands of children of incarcerated parents (CoIP) are left invisible and vulnerable within India’s criminal justice system despite Supreme Court mandates intended to protect their rights and well-being.

In this webinar, speakers shared the principles, practices, and innovative initiatives in family strengthening across the East and North-Eastern regions of India. Speakers reflected on evolving family vulnerabilities, the role of family-based care in care reform, and what it truly takes to embed family-strengthening principles into everyday practice.

This study examined differences in emotional and behavioural problems among 400 adolescent orphans in Kerala, India using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess how sociodemographic factors shape mental health outcomes. The findings revealed significant variations by gender, religion, type of orphanhood, length and type of institutional care, underscoring the need for tailored psychosocial interventions that reflect these differences.