This webinar aimed to create space for reflection on how child rights, parental rights, and family values intersect within faith communities and in public discourse. 

The aim of the report is to identify gaps in the system and assist the United Nations Task Force (UNTF) in its efforts to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and ensure that all children, including those deprived of their liberty in all settings, achieve the highest attainable standard of health. This report has drawn on the expertise and insights of a broad group of collaborators including members of the United Nations Task Force on the Implementation of the Global Study on Children Deprived of their Liberty.

This 2023 update report is published during the Commonwealth Year of Youth and for the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and will support policy-makers, governments and the public to reflect on progress made over more than a decade and to develop new strategies for strengthening the enabling environment for youth empowerment.

This ACERWC outcome statement of the DGD on Solutions to Challenges Facing Children With Albinism captures considerations on adopting an outcome document to emphasize the key points raised during discussions and the proposed actionable measures to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights of children with albinism.

In this article, the authors present considerations related to the global mandate for child protection and the challenges that persist amongst marginalized communities. Subsequently, they focus on Canada and, in particular, the Ontario example: the trends from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS). This child welfare epidemiological project has highlighted the need for greater intersectional adjustments to best protect children, where the iterative research-policy cycle has most effectively been seen with a formal system for the inclusion of lived experience, as in the case of Indigenous peoples.

This article delves into the challenges faced by orphans in Nigeria, specifically focusing on their psychological development and overall welfare. The article advocates for a family-centric approach, which includes adoption, community-based upbringing, and initiatives to strengthen existing families.

This study aimed to investigate the state of transformation of the child welfare service providers for neglected children in the City of Bandung as a parameter to understand the progress of the deinstitutionalization process in Indonesia.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 24 Lithuanian schools and involved parents/caregivers and their children aged 12 to 17. The study aimed to collect and analyse self-reported data on left behind children's emotional and behavioural problems and compare children’s reports with those of parents/caregivers.

This article is based on focus groups conducted for a wider study that aims to develop the basis for a trauma-informed care training course for foster parents and staff members working as direct caregivers in residential substitute care in Estonia.

The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between caregiver characteristics, caregiver attachment and placement type on two dimensions of mental health and substance use among a sample of older youth living in care in Ontario, Canada.

This systematic review addresses a gap in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of existing interventions that support care leavers’ sexual/reproductive health (e.g., contraception, pregnancy choices, early parenting). Eight published articles spanning six interventions were eligible.

This study investigates the well-being of primary caregivers responsible for orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. Well-being is defined as overall wellness, happiness, and satisfaction.

This study reports results concerning close embodied practices, involving touch, in early childhood care settings in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Romania, the right of adoptees to know their origins is enshrined in the Constitution and is regulated both in the Civil Code, adopted in 2011, and in special laws, which establish that adopted persons have the right to know their origins and their own past and, in this regard, are supported in their efforts to contact their natural parents or biological relatives.

The purpose of this U.S.-based study was to examine two intervening variables, self-care and formal support that affect the relationship between children with behavioural issues and caregiver depression.

This convergent mixed methods study builds knowledge surrounding preparedness among a sample of young adults with histories in out-of-home care in the U.S.

Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, the authors of this study examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. They found that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23.

The purpose of this macro-level study is to examine the effects of social welfare benefits and services on the demand for child removals. The study is based on the panel data of Finnish municipalities and their social welfare indicators for the period 2010–2021.

This study examines the health of Canadian youth in care and their engagement with the Canadian health care system on a population level.

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in participation and understand the experiences of youth transitioning from foster care who were involved in the Iowa Aftercare Services Program.

A valuable resource for practitioners, researchers and educators, this book puts forward a powerful case to think more broadly and flexibly about transition planning with care-leavers, placing the voices of young people at its heart. This book grew out of qualitative research interviews held with a small and diverse sample of young adults who were in the process of transitioning from out-of-home care (foster care, kinship care, or residential care) in London, England.

The authors of this exploratory qualitative research study recruited 12 African youths aged between 18 and 23, with at least two years’ experience of life in the care centres of Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, to investigate their experiences when they left these centres during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article focuses on how institutional and government authorities communicated and displayed techniques of reformative learning in New South Wales and Queensland. It examines how this learning was displayed to local communities, arguing that the work of demonstrating that the incarcerated boys in their care were learning to be good citizens was an important part of institutional governance.

This book sets out the case for Transitional Safeguarding, a new approach to protection and safeguarding designed to address the needs and behaviours of young people aged 15-24 who are falling between gaps in current global systems, with often devastating results. While the book addressed the gaps in the current system in the UK, the lessons have global application and the authors outlines how the specific needs of young people can be met through this approach.

This study examined 18 months of published Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews across England to identify the intersecting characteristics, vulnerabilities, harm types, indicators and issues with formal guardianship (safeguarding by carers, schools, local authorities, police and health professionals). Results revealed that children were missing, vulnerable, harmed and showed indicators of exploitation in numerous and intersecting ways.

This article addresses two issues: whether the inequalities faced by cared for children will persist in different stages of their lives and whether these inequalities are dependent on the specific out-of-home care setting, i.e. residential or foster care. The authors examine data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), covering a 50-year period.

Adopting a qualitative approach, this study gave voice to seven adoption applicants in Romania who began the adoption journey with one or more children but did not complete the legal process. The goal of the researchers was to understand their experiences throughout the adoption process and disruption. The present study is part of a larger research project that focused on the resilience of the adoptive family in Romania.

This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study outlines alternative approaches to psychosocial support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in four municipalities of Vhembe district in Limpopo Province, South Africa, in the form of community-based interventions.

The authors of this study aimed to gain insight into the perceived living environment in different residential youth care settings from the perspectives of 26 youth, 14 parents, and 35 professionals in the Netherlands.

At the end of 2019, an innovative approach was launched in social work with young people in out-of-home care in Riga. This approach included prevention, changes in the form and methods of social work, and planning for the transition period.

This study investigated social orphans through narratives of young people with experiences of growing up in institutional care in Latvia. The study uses the life histories of participants to explore the phenomenon of social orphans.

This retrospective, national-scale, observational e-cohort study of children entering care in Wales looked at the impact of cumulative risks of parental difficulties on the likelihood of care entry and the impact of the parent's sex.

If you’ve watched The Love You Give, you’ll recognise Peter Kamau and his gorgeous son Jedd, who featured in this docustory about orphanages.  

Bringing together interdisciplinary scholarship, Mark Henrickson argues that it is essential to understand and critique social work’s origins in order to work out what to retain and what must change if we are to achieve the vision of a truly global profession.

Orphanage volunteers may have the best of intentions - but they may unwittingly be doing more harm than good, as one ex-volunteer discovered. 

One of our partner organisations and creator of the orphanage volunteering alternative Rok Kern programme, Children in Families was invited to speak about volunteering at an International School in Phnom Penh.

When Eliza was a teenager, her dream was to volunteer in orphanages all over the world. So when she turned 18, she packed her bags and headed to Guatemala to volunteer in an orphanage.

The debate around the pros and cons of international volunteering has been raging for the past decade. With hundreds of articles, blog posts and exposés out there, both in favour and against volunteering overseas, it is difficult to know what to think or where to begin when deciding what program is best to give your time and money. We have pulled together some advice on the main things you need to look out for when researching voluntary work programs, as well as some examples of the types of activities you might like to consider - especially as alternatives for orphanage volunteering placements. 

This book investigates how organizations around the world responded to these dual challenges, identifying solutions, and learning opportunities to help to support young children in ongoing and future crises. Drawing on research and voices from the Global South, this book showcases innovations to mobilize new funds and re-allocate existing resources to protect children during the pandemic.

The long-term consequences of COVID-19 have been tough for children around the world, but even more so for young children already in humanitarian crises, whether due to conflict, natural disasters, or economic and political upheaval. Drawing on research and voices from the Global South, this book showcases innovations to mobilize new funds and reallocate existing resources to protect children during the pandemic.

Prévenir la séparation des familles et favoriser la réinsertion familiale est une enquête de base menée par Changing the Way We Care Haïti visant à informer la conception d'un programme de réforme des soins axé sur la prévention de la séparation des familles et la promotion d'une réunification

The current review synthesizes the literature regarding the impact of placement instability on behavioural and mental health outcomes in foster care children. Three major databases and grey literature sources were searched for all relevant quantitative research published by July 2019.

This phenomenological study explores how five institutionalised Malay adolescents used adaptive strategies towards independent living upon being released from welfare institutions. Five 17-year-old Malay Muslim adolescents, three males and two females, were recruited via purposive sampling for a focus group discussion to gather insights into their plans and strategies to cope with life challenges after being released from their respective welfare institutions.