The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in the Czech Republic commissioned this report to assess the situation of refugee children in alternative care. While examining the broader system and identifying how this system can be improved, the analysis pays particular attention to the needs of refugee children from Ukraine following the significant increase in refugee arrivals since 2022.

This response report provides an overview of child protection concerns in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has deeply fractured the primary protective environment for children—the family. Mass displacement has separated millions of children from parents, siblings, and extended relatives, while indiscriminate attacks continue to kill and injure children at alarming rates.

The Technical Guidance for Oblast-Level Better Care Start-up outlines how to implement Ukraine’s Better Care programme at the regional level, in line with the National Strategy for Ensuring the Right of Every Child to Grow up in a Family Environment (2024–2028). It assigns clear roles to government, local authorities, civil society, and development partners, and provides a step-by-step approach for oblasts: forming Better Care Councils and community taskforces, conducting situational analyses, creating costed plans, setting monitoring frameworks, and delivering ISSB and family-based care.

This study compares residential childcare workforce practices across programs in Poland, Spain, and the United States, examining recruitment, training, supervision, and performance monitoring. Findings reveal both shared priorities, such as upholding children’s dignity, and region-specific differences that suggest potential solutions and highlight the value of international collaboration to strengthen training standards.

This document outlines a minimum package of social services aimed at preventing child-family separation, supporting reintegration of children from institutional care into families, and sustaining family-based care. The package includes eight core services: resilience-building support; accompaniment for families raising orphans; early intervention; inclusive education assistance; day care for children with disabilities; social support for families in difficult life circumstances; social integration for care leavers; and supported living for young people with disabilities.

This assessment examined how the child protection system supports children and families in vulnerable situations, with a particular focus on supporting the significant number of refugee children from Ukraine who have come to the Czech Republic since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

This one-page English-language synopsis of the full report in Romanian titled, “Ce putem învăța de la tinerii cu experiență trăită în sistemul de îngrijire din Republica Moldova?” (What can we learn from young people with lived experience in Moldova's care system?), offers a compelling peer-to-peer perspective from 56 young people who transitioned out of Moldova’s care system.

A round table in Brussels, co-hosted by Hope and Homes for Children and European Parliament Vice President Victor Negrescu, explored child protection and care reform in Moldova within the context of EU accession. The report highlights progress made, ongoing challenges, and shared commitments to ensuring every child in Moldova grows up in a safe and caring family.

Acest raport prezintă rezultatele unui studiu participativ realizat de rețeaua Youth & Experience (Y&E), fondată de tineri cu experiență trăită în sistemul de îngrijire din Republica Moldova, realizat în perioada septembrie - decembrie 2024 cu participarea a 56 de tineri.

This study by the Childhood 2025 Coalition highlights ongoing challenges in Bulgaria’s child protection system, particularly the lack of preparation and coordination during child–parent separation, which heightens stress for families and strains relationships with social workers. It calls for updated case management methodologies and stronger collaboration among child protection authorities, social services, and other actors to better support children and prevent unnecessary family separation.