Public service cuts and ‘stark impact of poverty’ are causing worse outcomes for children, according to survey

In this paper, two researchers with backgrounds in ethnography describe and reflect on their experiences from a qualitative, transnational study called 'Back to the Future: Archiving in Residential Children's Homes (ARCH) in Scotland and Germany. Important goals of the study are the investigation and development of digital community archives for young people, care workers and care leavers from residential homes in order to support their memories of shared everyday life.

In this Q&A, Olena Remen, head of the expert group on family-based forms of upbringing and adoption at the Coordination Center for the Development of Family-Based Care and Education in Ukraine discusses the regional implementation of the country's four-year strategy to prioritize family-based care.

Lack of adequate housing, welfare reforms and families lacking access to public funds adding to pressures on children's services in England, according to an Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) survey.

Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit theologischen und historischen Hintergründen christlichen Engagements für Waisen speziell im deutschen Kontext und stellt wichtige Forschungsergebnisse der letzten Jahrzehnte zum Kindeswohl in Waisenheimen dar. Dabei werden auch gewohnten Denkmuster hinterfragt und Alternativen aufgezeigt, die im besten Interesse der Kinder sind.

This report, from Ireland, provides a comprehensive exploration of the principles and practice of independent advocacy for children and young people with care experience, with a view to signposting what constitutes best practice in this field and proposing a model of advocacy practice which reflects the key themes arising. Resulting from a research project carried out with EPIC (Empowering People in Care), the report draws from the views of those who have experienced advocacy as children and young adults, those who have provided advocacy as professional independent advocates, management personnel responsible for the provision of those services in the context of EPIC and significant stakeholders in the field of advocacy service provision. 

This study examines how policy developments and the introduction of the Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act, Chapter 602, have shaped the alternative care system and impacted the welfare and rights of children and families in Malta. It analyzes legislative intent, stakeholder perspectives, and gaps in practice, highlighting challenges and proposing reforms to strengthen the law’s implementation and support ongoing alternative care improvements.

Using group-based trajectory modelling on Swedish children born 1990–1999, this study identified six distinct patterns of out-of-home care placements that varied in onset, duration, and type. Findings show greater parental disadvantage among children entering care earlier, highlighting the need for early intervention and family-centred prevention strategies.

An analysis of 14 national foster care policies across six European countries found that while most acknowledge children’s cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds, they provide little concrete guidance on ensuring relational and cultural continuity—particularly for children with migrant backgrounds. The study highlights four policy patterns, including prioritizing adult over peer relationships, emphasizing parental contact over extended family or transnational ties, assuming Western cultural norms, and struggling to balance immediate care needs with maintaining cultural and relational connections.

Un aspect esențial al misiunii CTWWC, constă în acumularea și prezentarea evidențelor ce vizează reforma sistemului de îngrijire, în special aspectele referitoare la tranziția copiilor din îngrijirea rezidențială și reintegrarea în propriile familii sau plasamentul în îngrijire alternativă de tip familial și prevenirea separării sau reseparării copiilor de familie. Astfel, pentru acumularea informațiilor concludente, CTWWC a efectuat un sondaj al gospodăriilor în rândul familiilor care au beneficiat de suport în cadrul inițiativei, cu scopul de a informa autorităților publice și practicienii care activează în acest domeniu.