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.

This statement by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations Ted Chaiban notes how the rapid pace of returns to Afghanistan—peaking at over 50,000 arrivals in a single day—has overwhelmed fragile communities.

Strengthening Families in India: Framework & Guidance, jointly developed by India Alternative Care Network (IACN) and Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), aims to consolidate existing knowledge, interventions, and promising practices led by government bodies and civil society organizations across India.

This study examined factors influencing depression among adolescents living in orphanages in Central Aceh Regency, Indonesia. The findings highlight the need to prioritize interventions that strengthen social support networks, while also exploring additional psychosocial factors such as caregiver relationships, trauma experiences, and coping strategies.

India is advancing child protection reforms with a growing focus on ensuring children thrive in safe, nurturing families, supported by collaboration among government, civil society, communities, and families. Insights from the National Family Summit 2025 highlight how multi-level partnerships are driving family strengthening and family-based alternative care, while also charting a roadmap to overcome systemic challenges and sustain progress.

Bullying in Pakistani orphanages is a serious but understudied issue that threatens children’s physical and psychological well-being. This study surveyed 600 adolescents aged 10–19 from orphanages in Gujrat, Gujranwala, and Lahore to examine the effects of bullying.

This article examines the increasing phenomenon of orphanage trafficking in Nepal – a practice involving the coercive separation of children from their families and placement into unauthorized care facilities under false pretences, often for financial exploitation. It evaluates relevant constitutional provisions, national child protection and anti-trafficking legislation, and international obligations to assess Nepal’s compliance with its legal responsibilities.

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Children Welfare and Special Services (DCWSS) will soon launch a pilot initiative to strengthen family-based alternative care services for children currently residing in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) across Tamil Nadu.

This study is complementary to the alternative care assessment and explores the perceptions and attitudes of policymakers, judges, and frontline child protection practitioners toward alternative care in Bangladesh. It finds broad consensus that children thrive best in families, yet institutional care remains the default due to the lack of structured alternatives.

This summary draws on the work of the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) with and for children with disabilities to develop pathways for their full inclusion in their communities.