Safe and Responsible Exit: Guidance for Organizations Divesting from Residential Care for Children

Kelley Bunkers and Sian Long, Maestral International, in collaboration with Eileen Ihrig and Lauren Oleykowski, CRS Senior Technical Advisors

The Safe and Responsible Exit Guidance developed by Catholic Relief Services provides a structured framework for organizations transitioning away from financial and technical support of residential care facilities. This guidance emphasizes ethical divestment that prioritizes child safety and supports ongoing care reform.

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Orphanage Trafficking in Nepal: Legal Gaps, Protection Failures, and Reform Imperatives

Kapil Aryal

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.

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Life skills training and resilience of youth exiting institutional care in Zimbabwe using capability theory: An interpretive phenomenological study

Taruvinga Muzingili and Thembekile Tembo

Interviews with care leavers and instructors in Zimbabwe found that institutional life skills programs strengthen resilience, self-reliance, and adaptability, helping youth navigate challenges after leaving care. However, outdated curricula, limited follow-up support, and restricted financial access constrain agency and economic participation, highlighting the need for more relevant training and structured transitional support.

Child Adoption and Custody in Islamic Law: A Meta-Analysis And Systematic Review

Amum Mahbub Ali, Sayehu, Naf’an Torihoran

Child adoption remains a complex and sensitive issue within Islamic legal discourse, particularly due to its tension with Western legal frameworks that often permit full adoptive rights, including name changes and inheritance. This study addresses the central problem: how can Islamic law reconcile child protection needs with religious norms that prohibit altering a child’s lineage? The research aims to investigate how the concept of kafalah in Islamic jurisprudence serves as an alternative to formal adoption and how Muslim-majority countries navigate the duality between sharia and civil legal systems.

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Safety and beyond? Exploring children's priorities for their participation in the child protection and welfare process

Robbie Gilligan, Stephanie Holt, Eavan Brady, Louise Caffrey

This study reanalyzes interviews with 20 children in Ireland to explore their perspectives on participation in child protection processes involving their families. Findings show that while children often shared adult concerns, they viewed participation differently—particularly regarding risk, safety, stigma, and the need for ongoing dialogue—highlighting the importance of more child-centred approaches in practice.

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An Approach to Care Models for Disabled Children in Need of Protection in Selected Countries

Burak Küsmez and Abdullah Selim Doğan

Child protection systems have traditionally emphasized remedial services over prevention, often relying on uniform care models that fail to account for children’s diverse needs. This study examines the child protection systems of countries representing various welfare models and comparatively evaluates the practices for disabled children in need of protection in these systems.

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Developing and Evaluating Theory-Based Messages to Promote Foster Care

Sofia Ferreira, João Graça, Eunice Magalhães

Foster care is the preferred out-of-home placement for children at risk. However, the number of children in child protection systems exceeds the availability of foster families, highlighting the need for recruitment campaigns. Despite the growing development of such campaigns, their results have not been evaluated. This study aimed to design and experimentally evaluate messages to increase awareness, willingness, and intention to foster in Portugal.

Institutions: accountability as a key to reforming children’s alternative care

Jennifer Davidson

Drawing on the panel and discussions at the Global Study’s Global Conference on Justice for Children Deprived of Liberty 2024 Geneva event, this chapter outlines key elements required for deinstitutionalisation for effective children’s care reforms that are accountable to children. It proposes a two-pronged approach of systems change reforms reinforced by accountability mechanisms to achieve this for children in institutions specifically for care purposes.

Bridging Gaps in Grandparenting: Kinship Navigator Programs Mitigate Sociodemographic Disparities in Caregiving Challenges of Informal Kinship Placement: A Latent Class Analysis

Hung-Peng Lina, Angelique G. Daya, Emiko A. Tajimaa, et. al.

This study investigates how Kinship Navigator Programs (KNPs) help mitigate disparities in caregiving challenges faced by informal kinship caregivers (especially grandparents) of maltreated children. Using Latent Class Analysis, the research identifies three distinct patterns of caregiving challenges: financial, child's behavioral/emotional health, and intergenerational family dynamics. 

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Solomon Islands Child and Family Welfare System: Multi-Sectoral Implementation Plan 2025-2030

Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services (Social Welfare Division) and UNICEF

The Solomon Island's Child and Family Welfare Act 2017 signalled a strong commitment from the government to strengthen national efforts to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children. This Multi-Sectoral Implementation Plan 2025–2030 outline's the government's plan to improve services to strengthen family and community caring practices and to ensure a timely and appropriate response to all children in need of care and protection.

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