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.

Despite growing knowledge of kinship care, little is known about its impact on transition-age youth. This study found that while educational attainment and homelessness risk were similar for youth in kinship and non-kinship foster homes, those in kinship care faced higher incarceration risks, with placement stability significantly influencing all outcomes.

This qualitative study analyzes institutional narratives between 2002 and 2024 to understand how violence and child abuse have persisted in residential care centers in Chile, drawing on interviews and public statements from child protection authorities. The findings identify systemic deficiencies, structural problems, negligent practices, concealment, and sexual exploitation networks as key factors perpetuating abuse, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms, stronger oversight, and enhanced ethical and professional standards to safeguard the rights and well-being of children under state care.

This study examined protection trajectory patterns among 49 children who experienced residential care in Spain, identifying three distinct profiles through cluster analysis of case-file and psychosocial assessment data. The findings reveal diverse pathways—ranging from early transitions to family-based care, to unstable trajectories marked by multiple placements and higher adversity, to prolonged but stable residential care often involving diagnosed illnesses or disabilities—offering important insights for strengthening child protection decision-making and promoting stable, secure care experiences.

Child participation in decisions that affect them is a core element of a rights-based child protection system, and Advisory Boards of Children (ABCs) provide a structured local mechanism to ensure their meaningful involvement in shaping policies and services. This practical guide offers tools and recommendations to support the safe, effective, and equitable establishment and strengthening of ABCs, building on 15 years of experience and aligning with UN recommendations in Moldova.

دعوة للعمل – معاً لإحداث الأثر

This document has been developed to support those engaging technically with the Global Campaign of Children’s Care Reform by providing a deeper exploration of key themes introduced in the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform. This document offers elaboration and practical insight into several of the central themes reflected in the Global Charter. It draws on the global evidence base, links to foundational guidance and standards, and incorporates the experience and expertise of those with lived experience of care, technical experts, and practitioners.

The document presents Ukraine’s ongoing child protection reform, known as the Better Care for Every Child initiative, which focuses on shifting from institutional to family- and community-based care. It outlines the key priorities of the National Strategy on Deinstitutionalization, including early identification of vulnerabilities, family support services, inclusive education, and the development of quality alternative care.

This study examined differences in emotional and behavioural problems among 400 adolescent orphans in Kerala, India using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess how sociodemographic factors shape mental health outcomes. The findings revealed significant variations by gender, religion, type of orphanhood, length and type of institutional care, underscoring the need for tailored psychosocial interventions that reflect these differences.

This study examined the relationship between disability type and service receipt among U.S. transition-age youth aging out of foster care, a population in which 53% have a diagnosed disability, across all U.S. states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

This study examines how children with unknown parentage are cared for in modern society and the societal risks they face, using analysis of existing research. It finds that factors such as religious beliefs, economic conditions, and post-birth abandonment—along with stigma and discrimination—significantly shape these children’s experiences, and calls for stronger reforms and increased investment in child welfare programs.

The Kusamala+ Stigma Reduction Toolkit is the product of a 10-year community based program in Zambia to reduce stigma for children with disabilities living in family-based care in low-income compounds and improve family quality of life

This resource presents a costed policy study on investing in disability-inclusive and gender-responsive community care and support systems across the life cycle in Kenya, developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

This chapter in the The Routledge Handbook of Social Work and Migration focuses on social work with children and young people who have experienced forced migration and become separated from family members, known as unaccompanied minors. It explores the possibilities of rights-based practice with unaccompanied children and considers what might be needed to develop and sustain this.

Supporting parents and caregivers requires a whole-of-society approach, with coordinated responses from the health, education, social services, private and other sectors. This brief focuses on the role of the health sector specifically. It explains why the health sector should support parents and caregivers, describes the type of support they need, and outlines the key building blocks of the health sector response.

To launch a new Emerging Insight Series of webinars from CELCIS, this session set the scene by considering what AI might mean for children’s social care. It explored fundamental questions, potential opportunities, and challenges related to how AI is being used in practice; its role in responding to the care and protection needs of children and young people and supporting their families; and emerging understanding of the influences and impacts of AI on children’s and young people’s lives.

This article examines how frontline child protection practitioners in Maputo City, Mozambique experience the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws, focusing on perceived barriers and facilitators. It finds that resource constraints, legal gaps, and sociocultural norms hinder effective enforcement, while NGO support and multisectoral coordination act as key enablers, highlighting the need for increased funding, legal harmonization, and evidence-based interventions to prevent violence against children.

This article explores a pilot study in Italy in which care-experienced young people acted as co-researchers to examine perceptions of child maltreatment and state intervention, focusing on the co-construction of knowledge between survivors and academic researchers. It finds that peer-led research strengthens epistemic justice and professional practice by integrating lived experience with academic analysis and fostering relational, supportive spaces for young people’s voices in care proceedings.

This article examines child abuse in Kosovo by analyzing policy gaps, risk factors, legal frameworks, and challenges in implementing child protection laws, drawing on interviews with senior Ministry of Justice officials and national data. It highlights a significant rise in child victimization between 2020 and 2022 and recommends legislative updates, institutional reforms, and the development of a national strategic document to strengthen child protection systems.

This article examines the legal status and consequences of concealing the ancestry of adopted children under Indonesian criminal law and Islamic law. It analyzes how such practices are addressed in statutory law and Islamic legal principles, highlighting the importance of lineage clarity, transparency, and the protection of children’s rights in adoption.

This study aimed to identify the social and psychological challenges facing foster families of orphaned children and highlight the role of social workers in Amman.

This article investigates the deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities in times of armed conflict, taking the situation in Ukraine as a case study. It argues that a proper implementation of the right to independent living involves adopting a human rights-based approach that considers all the socio-economic rights of children with disabilities with due regard for the knowledge and expertise existing within families.

This report builds on previous research highlighting the multiple challenges facing children of mothers with out-of-home care (OHC) experience in the UK. It draws on data from young people born in 2000 who are part of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) to deepen understanding of the association between maternal OHC experience and poor behavioural and mental health outcomes.

This commentary critiques Western-led global orphan care interventions, arguing that donor-driven aid, institutionalization, and voluntourism often perpetuate trauma, family separation, and an “orphan economy” despite good intentions. Drawing on lived experience, research, and ethical reflection, it calls for trauma-informed, family-preserving, and culturally respectful approaches that prioritize children’s rights, dignity, and long-term wellbeing.

This article analyzes Guatemala’s child welfare and intercountry adoption systems before and after the 2007 suspension, using Midgley’s framework to examine reforms across non-formal, market-based, non-profit, faith-based, and government systems. Framed by international child rights law, including the Hague Convention, it highlights the shift from illicit, profit-driven adoption practices toward a reformed system while centering child rights and the experiences of birth mothers during the peak adoption era.