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Latest Updates on Children's Care

The Personal Paradigm as a Methodological Imperative for Raising Orphans in the Current Ukrainian Military Reality

This article examines the socialization and education of orphaned children in Ukraine amid the war, highlighting the psychological trauma, deprivation, and social challenges they face. It calls for reforms in caregiver training, trauma-informed education, and the adoption of a personal paradigm approach that supports each child’s development, resilience, and self-realization.



Strengthening Foster Care in Nigeria: Codifying the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care

This article provides a critical examination of the Child's Rights Act in Nigeria, with a focus on strengthening foster care through the codification of the United Nations (UN) Guidelines on Alternative Care. It analyzes the existing legal framework governing foster care in Nigeria, identifying gaps and limitations that hinder the effective protection and care of children living in foster care arrangements.

See also:

• Indigenous Knowledge and the Challenges of Informal Foster Care Practice in South-East Nigeria: The Need for a Formalised Process for Child Safety
• The Evolving Landscape of Parenthood, Adoption and Legitimacy in Nigeria

Legal Frameworks of Adoption in Pakistan: A Comparative Study of Child Welfare and Parental Rights

This paper examines the legal framework governing adoption in Pakistan, highlighting how Islamic principles and the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890 shape the balance between child welfare and parental rights. Through a comparative analysis with international standards, it identifies gaps in the current system and proposes reforms to better protect children’s best interests while respecting cultural and religious values.

The Concept of Child Adoption from a Legal Perspective in Indonesia

This study analyzes Indonesia’s legal framework for adoption, detailing its procedures, requirements, and implications under national child protection laws. It finds that while adoption ensures children’s welfare and grants them equal rights in care and education, inheritance and lineage distinctions remain under existing legal provisions.

See also:

• Child Adoption Practices in Yogyakarta: Legal Challenges and the Role of Social Workers

Religion and Adoption in India: Toward a Uniform Adoption Law

India’s adoption laws have evolved over more than a century, creating parallel systems that affect eligibility, speed of adoption, and the rights of adoptive families. This study examines the historical origins and gaps in these laws and advocates for a unified framework that aligns with constitutional and international standards.

The Overlooked Linkages between Public Health Emergencies and Child Protection in Eastern and Southern Africa

This technical brief examines how public health emergencies in Eastern and Southern Africa—such as polio, cholera, Ebola, Marburg, and mpox—disrupt protective environments and increase risks of violence, exploitation, and neglect for children, including those without parental care. Drawing on lessons from multiple countries, it highlights scalable approaches to embed child protection in health responses and calls for coordinated frameworks that ensure care continuity and resilience during future crises.

Disability and Care: Resisting the Lottery of Access in the Peripheries of Brazil

This report examines the historical and social context of disability and care in Brazil, with emphasis on the perception of mothers and caregivers, highlighting the deep-rooted inequalities faced by people with disabilities and their mothers, particularly in peripheral areas. Brazil’s history of exclusion, rooted in racist, ableist, and sexist ideologies, continues to marginalize Black people, women, and people with disabilities, with Black and poor women disproportionately assigned care roles. 

Also available in Portuguese.

The “What’s Up?” Survey of Adolescents in Residential Care Facilities During the Israel–Hamas War

This study surveyed 340 adolescents in residential care facilities across Israel to assess their emotional well-being and sense of security during the Israel–Hamas war. Findings show high levels of sadness, stress, and anger among youth, but those who felt cared for and supported by staff reported greater security, underscoring the need to strengthen staff–adolescent relationships during crises.

Shifting Power, Localizing, and Strengthening Ownership: Three Country Learnings and Challenges in Community-Led Child Protection

This report synthesizes learning on community-led child protection in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and India. It shows the power of communities' own agency and action on behalf of children and underscores the importance of ownership. Written for an audience of mostly practitioners, it features case studies rather than full research reports, and it draws out practical lessons learned and offers recommendations for practitioners, donors, and policy leaders. 

Exploring the Role of Stigma Management Communication in Reducing Stigmatization of Adoptive Parents: A Case of Kiambu County, Kenya

This study explores how stigma management communication can reduce the stigmatization of adoptive parents in Kiambu County, Kenya, where cultural beliefs often privilege biological lineage over adoption. Findings reveal that adoptive parents use strategies such as concealment, disclosure, reframing, and advocacy to challenge stigma and gradually normalize adoption, highlighting the vital role of communication in transforming societal attitudes and promoting acceptance.

Separation of Children from Their Families: A Study of the Experiences of Member Organizations of the Childhood 2025 Coalition

This study by the Childhood 2025 Coalition highlights ongoing challenges in Bulgaria’s child protection system, particularly the lack of preparation and coordination during child–parent separation, which heightens stress for families and strains relationships with social workers. It calls for updated case management methodologies and stronger collaboration among child protection authorities, social services, and other actors to better support children and prevent unnecessary family separation. This study is currently only available in Bulgarian.

A Qualitative Study on the Causes and Solutions of Street Children

This study explores the social, economic, and familial factors contributing to the rise of street children in Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan, where poverty, unemployment, and family breakdown have deepened the crisis. By highlighting the severe individual and societal impacts, it calls for targeted policies—such as poverty reduction, job creation, and access to education—to address the root causes and protect vulnerable children.

The Hidden Survivors: Care Leavers and the Unspoken Crisis of Sexual Abuse

This report examines the global sexual abuse and exploitation of care leavers, highlighting how systemic failures, both within institutions and during the transition to independence, leave young people vulnerable to harm, including cross-border trafficking and online exploitation. It calls for urgent action to strengthen safeguarding, ensure comprehensive aftercare, and create survivor-centered justice systems to protect care leavers’ rights, dignity, and long-term wellbeing.

Building a Culture of Voice and Agency for Aboriginal Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Review of Policy in New South Wales and Victoria

This paper examines how effectively out-of-home care systems in New South Wales and Victoria, Austalia support the participation of Aboriginal children and young people in decisions about their own care. It highlights systemic barriers and calls for structural reforms to embed Aboriginal child and youth voices at every level, rather than relying solely on individual practitioners to promote participation.

Advancing child protection systems in Indonesia and Ethiopia: A comparative analysis of progress and challenges

This review compares child protection systems in Indonesia and Ethiopia using UNICEF’s Child Protection System Strengthening framework. Both countries have established solid legal frameworks and coordination mechanisms, but progress toward system maturity remains slow due to gaps in enforcement, accountability, and support services, with Indonesia showing stronger development in workforce and data systems.

Psychosocial Interventions for Edge of Care Families in the Early Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for families with young children involved in child protection services in the UK. While the interventions improved parenting sensitivity, attachment, and parental functioning, evidence for reducing maltreatment risk remains limited, highlighting the need for larger, more consistent studies.

Assessment of the Capacity and Processes of Cambodia’s National and Intercountry Adoption System

This report presents an independent assessment of Cambodia’s national and intercountry adoption systems, with a focus on the country’s progress in aligning adoption practices with international standards for child protection and family-based alternative care. Commissioned by UNICEF Cambodia in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation, the assessment evaluates the current capacity, processes, and legal frameworks governing adoption, and provides recommendations to strengthen the system in the context of Cambodia’s ongoing care reform agenda.

A Systematic Review of Parenting Programs for Southeast Asian Families

This review examined 39 studies on parenting interventions for Southeast Asian families in low- and middle-income countries and diaspora communities, identifying 31 distinct programs that generally improved parenting practices and child behavior. Findings support the effectiveness of these interventions while emphasizing the need for more rigorous research, clearer documentation of adaptations, and stronger evaluation methods to maximize public health impact.

So I Told Myself I Couldn’t Stay Here …Unaccompanied Children at the Belarusian Border and in the Polish Alternative Care System in 2024

This report documents the complex and challenging situation of unaccompanied children seeking international protection at the Polish-Belarusian border, outlining the legal and factual context in 2024. Drawing on direct accompaniment of children, it reconstructs their journey from border crossing through age assessment, guardianship, asylum procedures, and ultimately placement in Poland’s foster care system.

Measures to Ensure That Social Workers Render Holistic Family Reunification Services: A South African Perspective

This study examines challenges that hinder social workers in South Africa from providing effective family reunification services, resulting in children staying in alternative care longer than necessary. Findings from a mixed-methods study suggest that providing resources, reducing caseloads, supervising and training social workers, and adhering to reunification principles are key measures to ensure holistic and timely family reunification.

‘I hate those words, I love you!’. Care-leavers’ Reflections of Orphanage Tourism

This study explores the experiences of nine young Thai adults who grew up in a Christian orphanage supported by foreign volunteer tourists, highlighting the impact of these visits on the children. Findings reveal that while orphanages often used children to attract financial support, most volunteers provided fleeting attention, leaving children disappointed and vulnerable, emphasizing the need for orphanage models that prioritize the children’s needs over tourist interests.

“Suddenly, eight years went by”: Young Women’s Lived Experiences of Residential Care and Transition-to-Adulthood Programs

This study explores the experiences of young women leaving residential care in Catalonia, Spain, revealing that limited, inconsistent support focused mainly on technical skills neglects their emotional and social needs. It calls for a caring, individualized approach to guide their transition to adulthood and prevent further vulnerability and institutional abandonment.

Alternative Care in Chile: Insights from a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Analysis

This brief analyses the state of alternative care for children in Chile, highlighting key statistics, sectoral findings and areas for policy improvement. It is part of a broader analysis of gender equality, disability and social inclusion in Chile. The analysis draws on existing literature, government reports and key informant interviews with stakeholders working in this area.

The Relationship Between Child Neglect and Family Protective Factors: A Case of Türkiye

This study examined the link between child neglect and family protective factors among 936 parents in Hatay, Türkiye, a region marked by migration, cultural diversity, and economic hardship. Results showed that stronger family protective factors were associated with less neglectful behavior, emphasizing the need for family-centered prevention efforts in disadvantaged, multicultural contexts.

Roles of Child Care Functionaries in Child Care Institutions in Odisha: An Assessment Under the Context of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015

This paper examines the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and its regulations in the context of child care institutions (CCIs) in Odisha, India focusing on the role of CCI staff in supporting institutionalized children through the child welfare committee. Findings from a qualitative study of three children’s homes in Balangir district indicate that staff often fail to address children’s emotional and psychological needs, highlighting the importance of staff training to effectively fulfill duties under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Livelihood Strategies for Adolescent Girls Transitioning out of Residential Childcare Facilities: A Zimbabwean Perspective

This study explores the transition and livelihood strategies of adolescent girls in and out of institutional care in Harare, Zimbabwe, comparing 16 girls still in care with 16 who had exited. Findings reveal that girls leaving care rely on diverse social networks for survival but often struggle to sustain themselves, highlighting the need for transition programs that reduce institutional dependency, prevent early marriage, and promote economic inclusion.

Measuring Success for Care Leavers in England: Whose Definition Counts?

This article reviews how ‘success’ is defined for young adults, comparing academic and care-experienced perspectives with the narrow statutory outcome measures currently used for care leavers in England. It finds that existing measures are limited and advocates for a more comprehensive approach that centers care leavers’ own definitions of success.

Exploring the Education Experiences of Children in Alternative Care in Kenya: Challenges and Opportunities

This study examines the educational experiences of children in Charitable Children's Institutions (CCIs) in Kenya, highlighting how institutional care often fills gaps left by inadequate education and other services in contexts of poverty. Findings reveal that children in CCIs face marginalization, stigma, and disrupted learning, while promising interventions include cross-sector partnerships, safeguarding training, and transitioning CCIs toward community-based support within national care reform.

Technical Brief: Children in Civil Proceedings

This brief outlines how children engage with civil court processes—such as custody, guardianship, and adoption—and highlights the profound impact these proceedings have on their rights, development, and well-being. It identifies gaps in law and practice and calls for reforms to ensure children’s meaningful participation, child-friendly procedures, and consistent application of the best-interests principle.

See also:

• Technical Brief: Children of Parents or Primary Caregivers Deprived of Liberty

Inter-agency Guidance on Child Protection Case Management Data Categorisation

This guidance highlights efforts to standardize Child Protection Case Management (CPCM) data in humanitarian settings to improve program quality, planning, and advocacy. Led by UNICEF and UNHCR through the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, the initiative establishes common data categories for risks, vulnerabilities, and services, enabling consistent analysis and stronger, evidence-driven protection responses for children across crises.

The Children's Plan: Vision for Care

This report from the UK Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, reviews progress and challenges in children’s social care since she began her term in 2021. It highlights persistent failures to uphold children’s rights and presents a vision for transformative reform centered on those rights.

Reimagining Transitional Support Systems for Youth Leaving Out-of-Home Care: A Global Framework for Housing, Workforce, and Psychosocial Integration

Care-experienced youth worldwide face housing instability, unemployment, psychological distress, and legal vulnerability when leaving out-of-home care, highlighting the need for coordinated transitional support. This paper proposes a Global Framework for Transitional Support that integrates stable housing, mental health care, education and workforce pathways, and legal empowerment through an adaptable, trauma-informed model designed for diverse cultural and resource contexts.

Policy Analysis and Benchmarking Tool for Universal Parenting Support

This document provides an overview of the Policy Analysis and Benchmarking Tool for Universal Parenting Support. The tool is intended to help governments analyse the current landscape of parenting support and plan for future expansion. It is also to be used by regional or state-level planners, as well as networks of parenting programme providers and civil society organizations that advocate for the scale-up of universal parenting support.

Family-First Framework

This toolset, from A Family for Every Orphan, provides a concise, adaptable framework to help national leaders and stakeholders strengthen child protection systems that prioritize family-based care. It distills key international standards and guidance into accessible materials to support informed, strategic conversations on building “Family-First” systems for all children.

Interventions to Prevent, Reduce, and Respond to Violence Against Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews to Update the INSPIRE Frame

A decade after the launch of WHO’s INSPIRE Framework, this systematic review updates the global evidence on what works to end violence against children. Analyzing 216 systematic reviews, it identifies the most effective interventions—including parenting programs, safe school environments, healthy relationship education, cash-plus life-skills training, and cognitive behavioural therapy—and underscores the urgent need to scale up these proven approaches worldwide.

See also:

• A crucial juncture for evidence-based action to end violence against children

The Power of Participation: Working with Care-Experienced People

This chapter in the book, Social Work Reflections, explores social work’s role in supporting care-experienced people and their families. It examines how social workers can promote meaningful participation and engagement across the life course for people with care experience. 

Comparative Normative Study on Child Custody and Guardianship in Islamic Family Law: Lessons from ASEAN

This study compares child custody and guardianship norms in classical Islamic jurisprudence and modern codifications, focusing on Indonesia’s Compilation of Islamic Law and related laws in selected ASEAN and European countries. It finds that integrating the “best interests of the child” with Islamic legal reasoning through maqāṣid al-sharīʿah can promote child protection and gender equity, offering insights for legal reform in plural societies.

Improving Care Experience: Delivering The Promise

This report assesses Scotland’s efforts to fulfil The Promise—a national commitment made in 2020 to overhaul the country’s care system so children and young people “grow up loved, safe and respected.” It identifies significant persistent challenges in three key areas: governance and accountability, data and measurement, and resources and investment.

Social Cohesion for Disability Inclusion in Kenya​

This document presents a comprehensive report on a pilot project in Kenya that tested the Social Cohesion for Disability Inclusion Approach as part of the Changing the Way We Care℠ initiative. The report details the implementation process, participant feedback, and measurable shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among caregivers and community members, highlighting increased empathy, inclusion, and advocacy.

Impact of Orphanage-Based Interventions on the Well-Being of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of orphanage-based interventions on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Benin City, Nigeria, focusing on healthcare, education, and vocational support. Findings revealed significant inadequacies in these services, with participants expressing dissatisfaction, and the study recommends free health insurance enrollment and mandatory school scholarships to improve OVC well-being.

Reimagining family re-unification: Exploring strategies for reintegrating street children in Harare, Zimbabwe

This study examines strategies for reintegrating street children in Harare, Zimbabwe, into their families, highlighting the root causes of homelessness and the need for psychosocial support, counselling, family conferences, and community engagement. It emphasizes innovative, evidence-based approaches to ensure effective family reintegration and informs policymakers, social development officers, and researchers addressing child homelessness.

See also:

• Lived Experiences and Reintegration Challenges of Street Children in Arusha: A Socio-Cultural Perspective

Exploration Phase: Improving Transition Planning in Residential Out-of-Home Care

This mixed-methods study examined transition planning in Victoria, Australia, from the perspectives of young people, residential out-of-home care staff, and cross-sector workers, revealing that while multiple organizations support youth—particularly Child Protection and residential care providers—responsibilities and participation methods vary, with young people often involved indirectly rather than through formal goal-setting.

Community-Driven Family Strengthening: Interview with This Life Cambodia

The article presents an in‑depth interview with the organisation This Life Cambodia, which works at the grassroots level in Cambodia to empower local communities around issues of social justice. It explores how community‑driven family‑strengthening approaches are applied in contexts of complex vulnerability, emphasising the importance of locally led support networks, culturally appropriate practices, and the agency of caregivers in sustaining positive family and community outcomes.

Practitioner Profiles

We would love to learn more about your work as a practitioner so that your local, national and/or regional lessons and experiences in the field can be shared with other practitioners. 



Organisational Profiles

Supporting Children and Families to Flourish: Insights from Australia on changing the paradigm from protection to connection

On November 13, 2025, the Transforming Children's Care Collaborative hosted a webinar to explore insights from two Australian initiatives—Professional Individualised Care (PIC) and the Centre for Relational Care (CRC)—that are reshaping alternative care models and broader child protection systems to prioritize relationships and protection through connection.

EVAC Ministerial Conference: One year Anniversary

The anniversary event marked one year since the 2024 Global Ministerial Conference brought together global leaders, ministers, experts, and advocates to celebrate progress toward ending violence against children and to renew commitments for the years ahead. 

Learning from lived experience to strengthen the social service workforce

This webinar showcased the learning from Strengthening the Social Service Workforce for Family-Based Care project. Implemented with partner NGOs in Brazil, India and Uganda, the project set out to learn from, record and amplify the knowledge and insights of youth and children with lived experience of care, their family members, and of social service workers.

World Social Summit Virtual Solutions Session: Catalysing Social Development through Care Reform for Children

On 3 November 2025, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Hope and Homes for Children hosted a virtual solutions session following the launch of the first Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform. The event brought together governments, multilateral organisations, civil society, and youth advocates to advance solutions to child institutionalisation and family separation.

Family-Based Care for Every Child: Lessons from Thirty Years and the Road Ahead

In this webinar, part of the University of Kent Centre for Child Protection’s ‘Critical Conversations in Child Protection’ series, Rebecca Smith and Geoffrey Oyat from Save the Children International, discussed the evolution of programs supporting family-based care and children without appropriate care, including unaccompanied and separated children, over the past thirty years.

Consultation & Introductory Launch – Family-First Framework



On Monday, November 3rd, A Family for Every Orphan hosted an interactive consultation and introductory launch of the Family-First Framework — a practical and adaptable set of visual tools designed to help countries strengthen their national systems for the well-being, protection, and care of children.

Minister Foley launches consultation process for new plan for children in the care system

Ireland Department of Children, Disability and Equality, 12 Nov 2025

When I met Craig he was 13 and homeless. I still thought his life might turn around. I was tragically wrong

Pamela Gordon - The Guardian, 11 Nov 2025

Born to Unwed Mothers, These Children Are Trapped in Saudi Arabia

Vivian Nereim and Abdi Latif Dahir - New York Times, 10 Nov 2025

Lumos Celebrates 20 Years of Impact and Sets Ambitious Goals for the Next 10 Years

Lumos, 03 Nov 2025

The Country Making Orphanages Obsolete

MaryLou Costa, 31 Oct 2025

The American adoptees who fear deportation to a country they can't remember

George Wright - BBC, 30 Oct 2025

Orphanage homes operators urge collaboration for inclusive, family-oriented care system

The Guardian Nigeria, 30 Oct 2025

UNICEF Innocenti launches a global research initiative on family-based alternative care

UNICEF, 29 Oct 2025

45% rise since 2022 in number of children waiting for adoption, as adopter numbers plummet

Mithran Samuel - Community Care, 28 Oct 2025

Every orphan will receive housing after 18 years: how the new law will work

UNN, 25 Oct 2025

France Failing Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Léa Pernot- Human Rights Watch, 24 Oct 2025

How do we define care? Bridging cultural gaps in developing a universal definition of care experience

CELCIS, 23 Oct 2025

3 December 2025

Launch of Inter-Agency Guidance on Child Protection Case Management Data Categorisation

4 December 2025

Exploring parenting children with disabilities: Disability inclusion in parenting programmes

4 December 2025

Launch of the Global Conceptual Framework for Universal Parenting Support

28-30 April 2025

Transition Connection Event

Online Course: UNICEF Child Protection Learning Channel

Children and Youth Resource Hub

VISIT OUR LIBRARY TO ACCESS OVER 16,700 RESOURCES RELATED TO CARE AND PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Newsletter participants, currently 3,375 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. 

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