In this book, Kathryn E. Goldfarb examines how child welfare systems, including those in Japan, do not always lead to well-being and can leave people feeling isolated despite efforts to support children and families. The book highlights the importance of relational well-being and shows how individuals create new forms of kinship and connection when traditional family ties are absent.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the global peer-reviewed research literature on the involvement of parents with disabilities in child protection. It finds that most studies focus on parents with intellectual, developmental, or mental health disabilities and rely largely on professional perspectives, highlighting important gaps in research—especially around parents’ voices and child protection processes.

This evaluation of Uniting Vic.Tas’ Family Preservation and Reunification (FPR) Program in Australia found that intensive, in-home support helps families stay safely together, especially when practitioners build trusting relationships and provide both practical and emotional support. The study also identified opportunities to strengthen the program, including longer engagement periods, greater continuity with practitioners, and follow-up support after families exit the program.

This study explores why deinstitutionalisation has not always achieved its intended results in the Czech Republic by examining the experiences of practitioners involved in care reform. It finds that conflicting views—between paternalistic approaches and rights-based perspectives—create misunderstandings and challenges in implementing reforms, highlighting the need for stronger change management and collaboration among professionals.

This report contains the findings from a nationally representative study conducted in 2025 by Barna Group of U.S. Christians to better understand U.S. Christian beliefs around and support for orphanages, children’s homes and other forms of residential care for children.

دعوة للعمل – معاً لإحداث الأثر

في يناير/ كانون الثاني من عام 2025، أطلق وزير خارجيّة المملكة المتّحدة مبادرة جريئة تحمل رؤية: إحداث تحوّل في حياة الأطفال على المستوى العالميّ بحيث يحظى جميع الأطفال بالرعاية الأسريّة بعيداً عن العنف والاستغلال والممارسات الضارّة الأخرى.

Este informe de antecedentes para la campaña global para la reforma del cuidado de la niñez y la adolescencia explica por qué los niños deberían crecer en familias y describe los cambios necesarios para fortalecer los sistemas de atención en todo el mundo.

Ce document d'information pour la Campagne mondiale pour la réforme du système de prise en charge des enfants explique pourquoi les enfants devraient grandir en famille et décrit les changements nécessaires pour renforcer les systèmes de prise en charge dans le monde entier.

This background brief for the Global Campaign on Children’s Care Reform explains why children should grow up in families and outlines the changes needed to strengthen systems of care worldwide.

يسعى†الميثاق†العالميّّ†لإصلاح†رعاية†الأطفال†إلى†تعبئة†الجهود†لإصلاح رعاية†الأطفال†وتحسنيها،†مع†التركيز†بشكل†خاصّّ†على†©†1®†تقديم†الدعم لتقوية†الأسر†ومنع†الانفصال†غير†الضروريّّ،†©†2®†ضمان†وجود†رعاية بديلة†آمنة†وحاينة†ضمن†إطار†أسريّّ،†©†3®†إنهاء†استخدام†المؤسّّسات†كأماكن للرعا

La Charte mondiale pour la réforme de la prise en charge des enfants vise à stimuler les actions visant à réformer et à améliorer la prise en charge des enfants, en mettant particulièrement l'accent sur (i) le soutien aux familles et la prévention des séparations inutiles, (ii) la garantie d'une

La Carta Global para la reforma del cuidado de la niñez y adolescencia busca impulsar acciones para reformar y mejorar el cuidado de la niñez y adolescencia, enfocándose específicamente en (i) proporcionar apoyo al fortalecimiento de las familias y prevenir la separación innecesaria, (ii) garanti

In Myanmar, concerns have been raised that clientelism may be facilitating the recruitment of children into unregistered facilities, putting children at risk. This study uses clientelism theory and examines relationships between stakeholders involved in forty-five residential care facilities in Myanmar. It finds clientelism as a distinct driver of child institutionalization in Myanmar and as a mechanism that facilitates the recruitment and admission of children into unregulated residential care facilities, undermining their rights and safety.

This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with physical violence against orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Namibia, using data from 16,507 participants in the Reach program. Findings show that 10.9% of OVC experienced recent physical abuse, with variation across districts and age groups, highlighting the need for targeted violence‑prevention campaigns, community-level behavior change initiatives, and regular regional assessments to address localized drivers of violence.

This article examines the growing number of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Ethiopia entering institutional care or adoption and argues that effective care requires a strong theoretical and evidence-based foundation. It proposes attachment theory and research as a guiding framework to inform policy and practice, helping decision-makers assess, plan, and evaluate alternative care arrangements to better support children’s short- and long-term development.

This article describes how, in Ghana, government officials report that more than 60,000 children are currently living and working on the streets of major urban centres, a situation described as a national emergency due to its links with deepening child poverty and multidimensional deprivation.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of how child-protection systems are structured, governed, and implemented across different legal and social contexts. The book explores the theoretical foundations of child protection, comparative legal frameworks, institutional responsibilities, and the practical challenges of safeguarding children’s rights, with particular attention to European developments.

This qualitative case study in Arua City, Uganda, explores how parenting practices contribute to the persistence of street children, drawing on interviews with 30 street-connected children as well as parents and community leaders. Findings show that poverty, neglect, abuse, weak supervision, and family breakdown—combined with push factors like hunger and domestic violence and pull factors such as peer networks and perceived economic opportunity—drive children to the streets, underscoring the need for strengthened family support, community protection systems, and parental economic empowerment.

This study systematically reviews qualitative research on how children in residential care perceive and experience safety, analysing nine studies to identify core dimensions of feeling safe. Findings reveal that safety is multifaceted and relational, encompassing violence and harm, relationships, structural conditions, and spaces, with children actively employing strategies to enhance their sense of security.

This chapter, in the book Children and Family Social Work, reviews the reform of children’s care systems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, tracing the historical reliance on large-scale residential institutions under communism and the subsequent shift toward community-based alternatives after the Soviet Union’s collapse. While institutionalization has significantly declined and community services have expanded, challenges remain in funding, workforce development, and preventing family separation while protecting children from harm.

This study amplifies the voices of seven care leavers in Australia, revealing how inconsistent and conditional out-of-home care (OOHC) often undermines stability, belonging, and participation. Findings highlight six key themes—ranging from the “luck of the draw” in care quality to feeling powerless and unseen—underscoring the need for relational continuity, child-centred approaches, and culturally responsive, participatory care models.

This article explores the experiences of foster carers supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and trafficked children (UASTC) in the U.K., highlighting challenges such as limited specialist training, the emotional toll of managing risk, and navigating the asylum process. Despite the small sample, findings suggest the need for trauma-informed care pathways, tailored training and supervision, peer support networks, and further research into UASTC experiences across different placements.

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 book analyzes 100 care cases to examine how jurisdiction and cross-border information sharing operate in child protection, drawing on the first empirical study of Brussels IIa and the 1996 Hague Convention in England. It highlights how children's welfare can be compromised in international care proceedings while offering recommendations to improve the interpretation and application of private international law to better safeguard their best interests.