Global Perspectives on Child Care Reforms

BETTER CARE NETWORK BCN is an inter-agency network of organizations committed to supporting children without adequate family care around the world. BCN Steering Committee:

Knowledge Hub www.bettercarenetwork.org Largest global clearing house of research, program and policy guidance and tools Monthly newsletter over 4000 readers across 191 countries

Global Learning

International Framework for Children’s Care Strengthening the capacity of parents and families to care Preventing child-family separation Providing a continuum of appropriate alternative care options Reintegrating children into safe and nurturing families Strengthening the capacity of parents and families to care in the face of adversity Preventing child-family separation whenever possible Reintegrating children in their families Providing a continuum of alternative care that is appropriate, with prioritization of family based alternative vs. residential care

Global Perspectives: the Good News Reforms of child care and protection systems ongoing in virtually all regions of the world (HICs, LMICs) Strengthening family care and preventing separation is central to child well-being (US National Action Plan; the European Comm. Rec on Investing in Children, and Social Investment Package; etc. Moved from why to how: Era of Implementation Growing body of practice-based learning about care reform processes and what works in different contexts

Global Perspectives: the Less Good News Fragmentation of the research agenda; empirical research mostly Western European/North American; Lack of concerted efforts on data collection systems One size fits all? No ‘universal model’…but common challenges and shared strategies and solutions Not enough quality documentation of what works and what does not work - Brave enough to fail? Unrealistic goals and targets: Transformation takes time but not ages; ‘Closing institutions as the goal or result?’

TRACKING PROGRESS: WEB BASED INTERACTIVE TOOL To measure a country’s progress in the implementation of the Guidelines, identify any gap, and provide a diagnostic and planning resource for government and other agencies.

UNDER EACH KEY THEMES ANALYSE THE DATA REPORT DATA MEASURE CHANGE OVER TIME REPEATEDLY TRACKING PROGRESS UNDER EACH KEY THEMES

WHAT NEXT? TO BE LAUNCHED LATER THIS YEAR PILOTED IN FIVE+ COUNTRIES LEARNING ON PROCESS & CONTENT

Who Cares For Children and Why We Should Care Strengthening data collection systems on children outside of family care (children in residential care; living or working on the streets; children in domestic work/bonded labour; children in other forms of alternative care inc. foster care; guardianship; detention) Strengthening data collection systems on children in ‘care vulnerable situations’/ at risk of separation: indicators for risk of separation? Making better use of existing national household surveys, in particular DHS and MICS, but also other relevant data sets (i.e. census data etc.)

Living arrangements for children under 18 not living with a biological parent (DHS) Significant diversity within regions and within countries

Who do they live with?

Living arrangements for children under 15 not living with a biological parent- related or unrelated

The main form of alternative care Kinship Care: The main form of alternative care 12 countries in East Africa (Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) Total 19.2 million children under 15 are in kinship care. 90% have at least one parent alive, majority both. Implications for strengthening family care, preventing separation? Implications of formalizing kinship care? (Kinship foster care? Learning from South Africa, Australia, USA etc.)

Addressing domestic and international drivers Orphanage volunteering The Role of Faith Based Actors Funding streams  

Orphanage Volunteering   Global Initiative that brings together: Travel sector Education sector Faith based sector Child protection sector

Role of Faith Based Actors  

Funding Streams Research Elevate Children funding stream research (Uganda, Nepal, Cambodia) Lumos research on international funding Rethink Orphanages: Australian funding mapping Country level costings Are we counting/measuring the same things? Implications if we are not?