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This section includes resources, news and other key documents related to children's care in the context of the current humanitarian crisis affecting Ukraine and surrounding countries. This section is updated daily. For more resources, visit the growing collection of documents in the BCN Ukraine Response Repository.
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This new set of evidence-based parenting tips were developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNODC, Parenting for Lifelong Health, and the University of Oxford in response to the war in Ukraine and focus on the prevention of child trafficking and child sexual violence.
The guidance is also available in:
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These advocacy messages have been developed to support advocacy efforts conducted by members of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and wider humanitarian actors responding to and working on the Ukraine crisis response. The global subgroup on Children's Care and Ukraine, which is co-led by the Alliance's Unaccompanied and Separated Children Task Force (UASC) and the Global Collaborative Platform on Transforming Children's Care, developed the messaging for the UASC section.
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The latest round of IOM’s survey was completed and presented on 5 April, leading to the updated population figure of 7.1 million IDPs in Ukraine (10% increase compared to the previous round). The second round also observed an increase of IDPs coming from the northern areas (Sumy, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv) and Kyiv.
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On 7 April 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on "EU Protection of Children and Young People Fleeing the War Against Ukraine" calling for greater protection of children fleeing war in Ukraine, particularly vulnerable children. It also calls for the registration of children entering the EU from institutional care, as well as monitoring their well-being and location in the EU.
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Since the start of the Ukraine war, more than 4 million people have fled, half of whom are children. This activity book was created for children to write about their journey out of the country, their memories of Ukraine and their hopes for the future. The book can be downloaded for free.
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The Better Care Network will continue to share tools, guidance, information, and other resources regarding children's care and protection during the COVID-19 pandemic as practitioners, policymakers, and other key stakeholders work to respond to the needs of children and families impacted by this crisis. For more resources on COVID-19 and children's care, visit the growing collection of documents in the BCN COVID-19 Resource Center.
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Thai Translations of COVID Briefs
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This qualitative interview study assessed the pandemic’s impact on the educational experiences of foster youth in the United States from the perspectives of their caseworkers. Participant caseworkers discussed how the pandemic affected the academic progress and social/emotional development of youth in foster care and highlighted some challenges of online learning.
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The aim of this study is to analyse the consequences after one year of the pandemic on a group of children and adolescents in Spain assessed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and to determine the most effective ways of psychologically coping with this pandemic.
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Understanding the Situation |
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This study looked at how well matched children in England are to their homes and the extent to which their participation, views, wishes and feelings are considered in the decision-making process. The study looked at a small group of children who have a very wide and diverse set of needs and who live in children’s homes that were visited by Ofsted inspectors in late 2019.
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In this editorial published in the special edition of the Global Studies of Childhood Journal focused on separated childhoods in April 2022, the authors aim to create the space to gather and share new findings from around the world, especially evidence that centres on the voices of children and family members with lived experience of separation, and on the practical experiences of the social service workforce who are key to providing adequate support to strengthen the capacity of families to remain together and to reunite safely.
Also in this issue:
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This book presents new and vivid findings concerning the extensive vulnerability of this population of children at the point of entry to care. It also shows that there is much to learn at an international level from the experiences of those involved in mandatory face-to-face post adoption contact - a uniquely Australian policy. The book provides evidence which shows how continuing post-adoption contact was experienced by adoptees and their adoptive parents. This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access.
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This paper describes tradeoffs in child welfare policy in the United States and provides background on the latest trends in foster care practice to highlight areas most in need of rigorous evidence.
These trends include efforts to prevent foster care on the demand side and to improve foster home recruitment on the supply side. With increasing data availability and a growing interest in evidence-based practices, there are opportunities for economic research to inform policies that protect vulnerable children.
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Despite high risks en route and upon arrival, Rohingya movement to Malaysia continues. This snapshot focuses on the specific risks facing Rohingya women and children before leaving Myanmar or Bangladesh, during their journey, and upon arrival in Malaysia. MMC Asia has been conducting surveys with Rohingya in Malaysia since January 2019 in order to better understand their migration experiences. This snapshot contributes to building a solid evidence base to inform targeted responses that improve protection for Rohingya refugees and inform advocacy efforts related to movements to Malaysia.
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Emerging evidence suggests that distant placements and multiple moves may be detrimental to young people in care settings. Less is known about the characteristics of young people in secure care most affected by these processes. This UK study examined distance from home and the number of previous placements in English young people detained in secure care and their relationships with organisational and individual characteristics.
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This article explores neighbour protective intervention (protective informal social control) in child neglect. It draws on narrative interviews with seventeen female parents from seven settlements in Ghana.
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This U.S. study examines the perceptions of 145 incarcerated mothers of minor children in a large midwestern jail to understand the correlation between where their children are living during their incarceration and the mothers’ feelings about these placements and relationships with their children. The study found that mothers were most satisfied if children lived with maternal grandparents, and least satisfied if children were in foster care.
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Many young people in foster care experience significant mental health difficulties, leading to attendance at services where engaging them in psychotherapy that adequately meets their diverse needs is an ongoing challenge. This study illuminates the inherent challenges of working with this population, while informing practice about how to engage with young people in foster care in a meaningful and helpful way.
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The internalizing behavior problems (IBPs) of left-behind children (LBC) due to parental migration are a widespread public health concern in China. A previous study showed that the detection rate of behavioral problems in the Hui was far higher than in the LBC of the Han nationality. However, to date, limited research has focused on IBPs in Chinese LBC of the Hui nationality. The aims of this present study are to explore the prevalence of IBPs and the influencing factors among the Hui LBC in the rural areas of China.
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This study, based on interviews with 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth from Victoria and Western Australia, examined their transition experiences and outcomes in relation to accessing stable and affordable housing. While all care leavers spoke of poor or non-existent transition planning, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants were more likely to report incidences of homelessness and more complex experiences in a range of areas.
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The purpose of this U.S.-based study was to determine whether children with developmental disorders (DDs) in protective custody are more likely to experience specific placement types and stay in care longer than their typically developing peers.
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Policies, Standards, and Guidelines |
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This Framework for Disability Mainstreaming in Parenting Resources is a tool to help organizations and practitioners to review existing parenting resources in terms of information and content gaps, limitations of instructional guidance, and at-home activities. The aim of the framework is to ensure parenting resources are inclusive of the needs of parents of children with disabilities ages 0 to 17 years.
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A joint endeavor of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, the Alliance, and its CAAFAG Task Force, this operational guidance aims to support the signing and implementation of handover protocols. It provides child protection actors with good practices, lessons learned, and other useful information on previous and ongoing negotiations and implementation processes in various countries.
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The European Parliament adopted this resolution on the "Protection of the Rights of the Child in Civil, Administrative and Family Law Proceedings" on April 5, 2022.
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This case study documents the successful transition of Beautiful Gate, a children's home in Cape Town, South Africa, from the orphanage model to a family-based and community-based approach.
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Engaging with key stakeholders is an essential part of any transition and must be handled with tact and wisdom. Located in South Africa, the organization Beautiful Gate began its ministry to protect street children and later grew to provide residential programs for children in need. Yet, as they began to learn more about the needs of children in families, they decided to shift away from residential care and expand their services to include the families of the children they served. This case study summary explains how Beautiful Gate communicated these changes with donors.
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This is one of two case studies focused on kinship care. This one describes family-based alternative care in Guatemala, including kinship care and aims to help practitioners better understand the practical implications of kinship and other forms of family-based alternative care and inform similar work in other contexts.
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This is the second of two case studies on kinship care and is focused on kinship care in the Kenya context.
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To subscribe to receive these monthly updates, join here.
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Young Australians exiting Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) face challenging access to justice issues due to experiences of trauma, increased interactions with the justice system, distrust of government services, high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage and a lack of accessible support services. This article outlines the experience of the Mid North Coast Legal Centre (MNCLC) which aimed to bridge this access-to-justice gap with a shake-up of the traditional legal services model. |
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This chapter in the "Attachment-Informed Parent Coaching" book discusses how to use attachment-informed parent coaching to help children in foster care heal from the multiple layers of attachment trauma they have experienced. The author describes how to help children in foster care develop healthier relationships with both foster and biological parents.
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The Task Force on Foster Care of the Transforming Children's Care Global Collaborative Platform held the first spotlight webinar series on foster care practice on 7 April 2022.
This webinar provided an introduction to the series and included presentations on an overview of existing global guidance; an examination of how foster care is significant to care reform; types of foster care; and the personal experience of being a foster carer.
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The International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) held this webinar on 11 April 2022 to discuss the need for concrete data and information crucially needed to support affected children inside and outside Ukraine.
Representatives of countries directly affected by the Ukrainian crisis as well as key partners on the ground shared their insights.
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The Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Learning Platform hosted a webinar on 13 April 2022, featuring a panel of people with lived experience in care. They shared how government and their partners can better understand the perspective of people with lived experience, best practices for participation and engagement, how to bring lived experience into national care reform, and the importance of associations and networks.
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Introducing the UNICEF Adolescent Data Portal
Visit the Adolescent Data Portal. It features global, regional and country-level data on key indicators together with information on the socio-economic contexts in which adolescents live. The portal includes globally comparable indicators, closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It also features a focused selection of key indicators on Health and Nutrition, Education and Learning, Protection, and Transition to Work. Additional data on adolescents can be found throughout data.unicef.org within the topical pages.
The data presented in this portal have been compiled by UNICEF from a variety of sources, including household surveys and administrative data, with inputs from partner agencies on the indicators that fall within their respective mandates.
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Family-Based Care
The Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Zambia team addresses common questions from institutions that are considering a transition.
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Institutions and Reintegration
Daisy Muzukutwa, Executive Director, ACE Zambia, addresses the following questions:
- Financial viability of reintegration
- Future of institutional staff after the transition
- Where to begin when considering a transition
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Families and Reintegration
Chilala Shilimi Nyendwa, Manager of the Family Preservation and Empowerment Program, ACE Zambia, addresses the following questions:
- Social stigma facing reintegrated children
- Ability of families to financially support their children; and how organizations might respond when families cannot
- Child safety outside of institutional care
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Adoption and Foster Care
Simon Kanyembo, Director of Social Services, ACE Zambia, addresses the following questions:
- Why child welfare organizations should prefer family-based care to institutional care
- Response to children who are abandoned or unable to be reintegrated
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Tabia Masoodi, Al Misda Masoom - Kashmir Observer 30 Apr 2022
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Garance Burke - The Associated Press 30 Apr 2022
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The Economist 30 Apr 2022
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Jessie Anton - CBC News 28 Apr 2022
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Interfax Ukraine 29 Apr 2022
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Mark A. Kellner - The Washington Times 28 Apr 2022
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Michelle Theriault Boots - Anchorage Daily News 28 Apr 2022
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PBS News Hour 28 Apr 2022
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Laura Hampson - The Independent 27 Apr 2022
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Danielle Da Silva - The Free Press 27 Apr 2022
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Victoria Amunga - All Africa 26 Apr 2022
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Fiona Simpson - Children & Young People Now 13 Apr 2022
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Edith M. Lederer - Associated Press 11 Apr 2022
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May Bulman - The Independent 09 Apr 2022
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New York Times 07 Apr 2022
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Nancy Marie Spears, Sara Tiano, Jeremy Loudenback 06 Apr 2022
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Susan Jacobs, Maureen Flatley - The Imprint 06 Apr 2022
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Niamh Griffin - The Irish Examiner 05 Apr 2022
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Jen Stout in Bessarabia - The Sunday Post 03 Apr 2022
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Newsletter participants, currently 4,663 in total, work on issues related to the care and support of vulnerable children across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. The purpose of the newsletter is to enable members to exchange information on matters of mutual concern. If you would like to share a document, raise a specific issue, request a newsletter subscription, or reach out in any other way to the Network, please send the information to us at contact@bettercarenetwork.org or visit our website at www.bettercarenetwork.org.
Thank you!
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