This is the first monthly update of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Learning Platform published in March 2022. 

The Regional Learning Platform on care reform for Eastern and Southern Africa provides an opportunity for government, UNICEF and others involved in care reform in the region to share learning through webinars,

Ce document fournit des conseils sur la manière d'appliquer les normes internationales lorsque vous travaillez avec des enfants et leurs familles touchés par cette crise. La question à poser, systématiquement - quelle que soit la décision, l'action ou le processus - est "qu'est-ce qui est dans l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant?" Cela s'applique à des situations sur le terrain qui sont complexes et ne permettent pas de réponses faciles.

Este documento brinda orientación sobre cómo aplicar los estándares internacionales cuando se trabaja con niños y sus familias afectados por esta crisis. La pregunta que se debe hacer, de manera consistente, sea cual sea la decisión, acción o proceso, es "¿qué es lo mejor para el niño?" Esto se aplica a situaciones sobre el terreno que son complejas y no permiten respuestas fáciles.

This opinion piece published in the BMJ, argues that evidence based parenting support is needed for families in both sudden and protracted crises, to help protect children from adverse outcomes. The authors say that in emergencies, families need evidence based support that is accessible, relevant, and simple. The parenting programmes prevent and disrupt the intergenerational transmission of violence and trauma and improve mental health for parents and children. When combined with economic assistance (“‘cash plus care”) they are even more effective. 

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine introduced a modification of item 24 of "Rules of crossing of the state border by citizens of Ukraine". This is an unofficial English Google Translation of the original document published in Ukrainian which is included on Page 2 of this document.

Цей запис підготовлено Міністерством соціальної політики України за підтримки проекту «Підтримка державних реформ в Україні» (SURGe), відповідно до постанови Кабінету Міністрів України від 27.01.1995 р. № 57». Про затвердження Правил перетину державного кордону громадянами України» (в редакції постанови КМУ від 12.03.2022 р. № 264). У ньому викладено практичні рекомендації для громадян України при перетині державного кордону України. 

Intercountry adoption and new surrogacy procedures should not be initiated in the first phase of an emergency. Save the Children is calling for states to support a Moratorium on intercountry adoption and emergency surrogacy procedures in relation to Ukraine until the appropriate safeguards can be reinstated. While adoption can provide a safe and loving home for a child that needs a family, it must be regulated to ensure the best possible solution for each and every individual child.

This information note from the Hague Conference on Private International Law | Conférence de La Haye de droit international privé (HCCH) outlines the framework for the protection of children in emergency situations. It provides guidance on protecting children who are internationally displaced from Ukraine as well as intercountry adoption in armed conflict. 

The Government of Ukraine released this updated procedure for border crossing for orphans and children without parental care.

This report aims to provide the first estimate and profile of newborns in care proceedings in England using national population-level data and provide a critical discussion of the findings for further consideration and development by family justice stakeholders.

Separating a baby from his or her mother at birth when there are safeguarding concerns is traumatic for birth parents and painful for professionals. This report presents findings from a study that analysed qualitative data from the lived experiences of parents and professionals where the state intervened at birth. The aim was to identify key challenges and to surface good practice examples with a view to developing a draft set of best practice guidelines for piloting with partner research sites in England and Wales.

These are the closing remarks of Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, at a side event in the context of the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. 

These opening remarks were delivered by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at 49th session of the Human Rights Council 9 March 2022. The focus of her remarks was on the alarming numbers of children who are torn apart from their families due to a number of reasons.

This is the concept note for the 49th session of the Human Rights Council which is an annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child. The focus of this year's meeting was to  identify the implications of a child rights approach to family reunification, paying particular attention to preventing the separation of children from their families, and to children affected in cross-border situations. 

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 45/30, in which the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on the rights of the child and family reunification. All children have the right to family life, yet millions worldwide are suffering preventable separation from their families and associated violations of their rights. In the present report, the High Commissioner recommends that States move to develop global, child rights-based guiding principles and a global strategy for family reunification.

This policy brief draws attention to Article 8 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which notes that a child has a right to identity including a name, a nationality and family relations. Whenever a child is deprived of one of these elements, States have an obligation to restore the child’s identity speedily. At the heart of any intercountry adoption (ICA) is the modification of a child’s identity given at birth. The brief also includes recommendations for policymakers.

This policy brief aims to foster an understanding that the provision of quality alternative care, requires that the child’s right to identity is safeguarded. 

The Russian Federation launched a military offensive against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. In three weeks, more than 3.2 million refugees have been forced to flee Ukraine, while an additional 6.5 million people have been displaced internally within the country.

The Russian Federation launched a military offensive against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. In three weeks, more than 3.2 million refugees have been forced to flee Ukraine, while an additional 6.5 million people have been displaced internally within the country. Over 12 million people have been affected in the areas hardest hit by the war within Ukraine. In these weekly updates, the UNHCR continues to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect for international humanitarian law, and appealed to neighbouring countries to continue keeping their borders open to those fleeing.

Протягом 24 лютого – 16 березня 2022 року через гарячу лінію було надано 12 083 консультацій у відповідь на 2 473 отриманих дзвінка.
Національна безкоштовна гаряча лінія з консультування мігрантів та протидії торгівлі людьми функціонує на базі неурядової організації “Відродження нації”. Гаряча лінія працює в межах Програми захисту і допомоги вразливим мігрантам Міжнародної організації з міграції (МОМ) в Україні за щедрої підтримки американського народу через проєкт Агентства США з міжнародного розвитку (USAID).

During 24 February–16 March 2022, there were 12,083 consultations in response to 2,473 calls were provided through the hotline. The National Toll-Free Counter-Trafficking and Migrant Advice Hotline is run by the NGO ”Revival of the Nation”. It operates within the framework of the Migrant Protection and Assistance Programme of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission in Ukraine.

This is a market study conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into children's social care provision in the UK. The study found that there is a shortage of appropriate places in children’s homes and with foster carers, meaning that some children are not getting the right care from their placement. Some children are also being placed too far away from where they previously lived or in placements that require them to be separated from their siblings.The authors recommend the development of national and regional bodies to support local authorities with getting suitable placements for children in the UK.

This document is intended to provide concrete advice on how to put the guiding principles common to most child protection actors into practice. Though cultural traditions and customs may require the advice to be adapted to the specific context, the authors believe that the advice provided is grounded in sufficiently broad experience to guide measures that ensure children under five are not separated when this can be avoided, and, if separated, can be reunited with their families as quickly as possible.

This paper hopes to contribute to a sorely under-documented field of how to reintegrate institutionalized children back into the community in a post-conflict environment. It provides a brief description of IRC Rwanda’s Reunification and Reintegration Program for Unaccompanied Children, emphasizing its innovative nature and promising field methodologies. It includes a review of core principles and a programmatic overview of center and community-based work, outlining key steps in the process. It also provides a brief review of good practices and offer some points of reflection for future work with children in post-conflict situations.

This factsheet shares the experiences and advice of families who have had relatives in
kinship care arrangements to highlight the dynamics and steps that can support reunification.

This bulletin outlines the importance of disaster planning in child welfare and discusses how caseworkers, with the help of their supervisors, can prepare themselves and the children, youth, and families on their caseloads for emergencies. It also provides direction for child welfare staff on response and recovery strategies they can use should disasters occur in their communities.

This rapid training was designed to provide information to Moldovan foster families in preparation for fostering unaccompanied and separated children from the Ukraine. The training package includes a PPT and facilitator’s guide. Content provided during the six-hour training program includes basic information on childhood trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences, key elements of PFA including Look, Listen and Link, and understanding how to both identify and support children who have lived through trauma and how it might manifest at different ages and stages of development.

11 березня 2022 року Кластер захисту оприлюднив першу оцінку внутрішньо переміщених осіб (ВПО) в Україні від початку військового наступу 24 лютого. Оцінки були засновані на попередній методології, розробленій у консультації з OCHA, МОМ, УВКБ ООН та REACH. У зв’язку з відсутністю достовірних джерел даних про ВПО на той момент, і в той час як урядова централізована система реєстрації не застосовувалася, Кластер втрутився, щоб забезпечити доведення до відома міжнародної спільноти попередньо оцінених масштабів внутрішнього переміщення в Україні. 

In this summary report, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) presents the findings of its 2021 annual survey providing an insight into the state
of the profession, the views of social workers and student social workers on key topics and the ongoing impact of working during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The survey was launched in December 2021 as a place for social workers to reflect on their profession and their experiences in the preceding twelve months.

Guided by UNICEF’s Child Protection Strategy (2021 – 2030) which provides the overarching strategic framework for UNICEF’s child protection programming globally, the paper discusses key considerations that have shaped this approach.

This legislative update by the UN Refugee Agency outlines amendments made by the Ukrainian government to Resolution 509 on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) registration in light of the Russian offensive that began 24 February 2022. These amendments are aimed at ensuring that IDP registration is available to anyone who was forced to flee their homes due to the large-scale hostilities. 

Кластер захисту координує заходи захисту та виступає за вдосконалення політики та законодавства, що стосуються людей, які постраждали від конфлікту. Він також займається розбудовою потенціалу та надає рекомендації щодо включення захисту у всі заходи гуманітарного реагування. Це знімок захисту для України за період з 6 по 9 березня 2022 року, складений Protection Cluster Ukraine.

The Protection Cluster coordinates the protection response and advocates for the improvement of policies and legislation affecting conflict-affected people. It also engages in capacity building and provides guidance on mainstreaming protection into all humanitarian response activities. This is the Protection snapshot for Ukraine for the period 6 - 9 March 2022, compiled by Protection Cluster Ukraine.

Это руководство предназначено для молодых людей и их семей, спасающихся бегством от конфликта в Украине в Венгрию. Он содержит основные практические вопросы и ответы, чтобы помочь тем, кто нуждается в немедленной помощи по прибытии в Венгрию. Этот ресурс был составлен Гражданской коалицией за права ребенка, крупнейшей в Венгрии профессиональной сетью гражданского общества по правам ребенка.

Цей посібник розроблено для молодих людей та їхніх сімей, які тікають від конфлікту в Україні до Угорщини. Він містить основні практичні запитання та відповіді, щоб допомогти тим, хто потребує негайної допомоги після прибуття в Угорщину. Цей ресурс був складений Громадянською коаліцією за права дитини, найбільшою професійною мережею громадянського суспільства в Угорщині з прав дитини.

Ez az útmutató azoknak a fiataloknak és családtagjaiknak készült, akik az ukrajnai konfliktus elől Magyarországra menekülnek. Alapvető gyakorlati kérdésekkel és válaszokkal segíti azokat, akiknek Magyarországra érkezéskor azonnali segítségre van szükségük. Ezt a forrásanyagot a Civil Koalíció a Gyermekjogiért Magyarország legnagyobb gyermekjogi szakmai hálózata, a Civil Koalíció a Gyermekjogiért állította össze.

This guide is designed for young people and their families fleeing the conflict in Ukraine to Hungary. It provides basic practical questions and answers to help those who need immediate assistance upon arrival in Hungary. This resource was compiled by the Civil Coalition for the Rights of the Child, Hungary's largest civil society professional network on the rights of the child.

This is the summary report for a pilot project spearheaded by Miracle Foundation India with its two partner organizations which were two Children's Care Institutions (CCIs) in the Indore District in central India. The goal of the pilot was to ‘create a replicable modal for other CCIs to effectively implement family based and alternative care through systemic change by engaging multiple stakeholders’.

In this Lancet article, the author Saleyha Ahsan highlights the growing threat faced by Ukraine's 7·5 million children as the conflict continues. Children are being killed or wounded through direct attacks by Russian military or they have been forced to flee their homes to an uncertain future. In a statement to The Lancet, WHO called for international humanitarian and human rights law to be upheld. “The number of civilians, including children, dying as a result of the military offensive in Ukraine keeps rising. This must stop. The protection of civilians must be priority number one.”

Este informe documenta las primeras etapas de un proceso de aprendizaje entre Cambiando la forma en que Cuidamos y la Congregación de las Hermanas de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor en México a medida que ellas avanzan en su proceso de transición. Este documento está dirigido a los profesionales, las organizaciones y los actores católicos interesados en apoyar o participar en un proceso de transición con las organizaciones católicas y también proporciona información útil para aquellos que participan en la transición con actores no religiosos. Esto incluye un importante aprendizaje relacionado con la forma de acompañar a las religiosas en el proceso de transición, comprendiendo los matices relacionados con el tiempo, el contenido y el enfoque. Y lo más importante es que explora el componente emocional que conlleva el hecho de que las religiosas, adapten el enfoque de su carisma a medida que se transforman, pasando de proporcionar atención residencial a una atención basada en la familia y la comunidad.

This brief documents the first stages of a learning process between Changing the Way We CareSM and the Mexican Province of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd as the Sisters moved forward in their transition process. It is written for practitioners and organizations, including Catholic actors interested in supporting or engaging in a transition process with women religious and also provides useful information for those engaging in transition with non-faith actors.