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Purpose of the Manual
This Manual provides the materials needed for the Department of Social Welfare and Foster Care Agency (where applicable) to conduct the following foster care related activities:
- Foster parent recruitment drives;
- Foster parent orientation sessions; and
- Foster parent training.
- Foster parent recruitment aims to identify and motivate people in the community to apply to be a foster parent.
- The goal of foster parent recruitment is to ensure that a sufficient number of…
Introduction
The role of the Case Management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Children in Need of Care and Protection cannot be overemphasized. These SOPs describe guiding principles, procedures, roles and responsibilities in the prevention of and response to child protection for children residing within Ghana. The SOPs build on national and Ghana based practices, protocols and legal frameworks as well as international minimum standards. They are designed to be used together with existing resources related to prevention and response to child protection.
This Standard Operating…
Abstract
The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) stipulates children are entitled to “a family environment…of happiness, love and understanding”. Recent work on deinstitutionalization of children from residential care has found important child wellbeing differences, particularly around hope. Using data from Ghana—a country that has initiated reintegration of children from residential care facilities, therefore providing a natural opportunity for comparative research—we used hope, whether the child has been reunified with family/…
The Census on Street Children in the Greater Accra Region was carried out by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW)of the Government of Ghana and Ricerca e Cooperazione (RC), an ltalian NGO, in collaboration with two local NGOs: Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS) and Street Girls Aid (S.A|D). The Census was carried out within the project 'lmprovement of the Living Standards of Street Children and Street Mothers in Greater Accra', executed between October 2007 and April 2011, co-funded by the ltalian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by DSW and RC.
The main objective of the…
Introduction
Infants are precious and vulnerable; therefore, they need a lot of love, attention and quality time with caregivers. Parents have known this instinctively for centuries and research continues to confirm that “a human infant cannot survive without someone providing food, protection and affection. Because of this, human babies are born with a very strong instinct and need to bond with a caregiver”. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the first five years of a child’s life are the most important for brain development especially within the first three years when the brain…
Abstract
Child neglect incidents are the most frequent cases reported to the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana. Therefore, an effective approach to inform practice decisions to curb the numbers is of great importance. Using a qualitative research design, 28 Practitioners’ and parents’ narratives on the perception and causes of child neglect were explored. The study revealed that there is a convergence and divergence of views on how child neglect is conceptualised. The findings suggest the need for practitioners to intensify awareness on some of Ghana’s cultural practices, such as…
ABSTRACT
This article assesses the contribution of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in reducing rural poverty in the Karaga district of Northern Ghana, using a mixed research design to compare the livelihoods of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. It concludes that the programme is contributing to poverty reduction among the poor and vulnerable, and recommends that school children benefiting from LEAP should be exempted from paying extra expenses such as examination and PTA fees. There should also be a system to provide subsidies for agriculture inputs to enable…
Introduction
National Standards for Residential Homes for Children (RHCs) in Ghana are in place to ensure the quality and consistency of care of children in residential care in line with international and domestic legal frameworks. The Standards are intended to guide all those responsible for planning and providing residential care services, and for making decisions on the licensing or closure of RHCs. DSW is legally mandated to inspect and monitor RHCs to ensure compliance with the Standards.
These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the inspection and monitoring of RHCs in Ghana…
The revised Standards outlined in this document are aimed at strengthening the first National Standards for Residential Homes for Children (RHC) in Ghana, developed in 2010. The Standards set out guidance on the admission of children into RHC and reintegration of children with their families. Among the updates made to these Standards are "provisions on the use of volunteers in RHC as a safeguard against orphanage 'volunteerism' which has been shown to not only impact negatively on children’s well-being but also actively encouraging the proliferation of residential homes…
Abstract
Emerging adulthood is the developmental period from 18 to 25 years of age when young people explore the possibilities of life with support from their parents. However, young people with an out-of-home care background usually navigate this life stage with little or no support. As a result, many care leavers experience poor outcomes including homelessness and low educational achievements. These narratives fuel low expectations and a negative stereotype toward care leavers. This study offers an alternative perspective by sharing positive stories of care leavers. Specifically, it…