The Better Care Network is an interagency network facilitating global information exchange and collaboration on the issue of children without adequate family care.
The global hub of knowledge to facilitate action for children without family care
COVID-19 Resource Center
Resources on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to child protection and children's care.
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Ukraine Response
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.
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The OPT Humanitarian Crisis
This section includes news related to children's care in the context of the current humanitarian crisis affecting Gaza and other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This section is updated regularly.
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Visit the Transforming Children's Care Collaborative, aimed at establishing more strategic sector-wide collaboration.
Visit the resource hub on transforming systems of care, including the transitioning of residential care services.
Cross sectoral global coalition working to redirect funding away from orphanages towards family strengthening and address the issues of orphanage voluntourism and orphanage trafficking.
Browse the Practitioner Hub
Explore the Practitioner Hub, an online library containing practitioner-related resources organized around the components of the care system.
The December 2025 Better Care Network newsletter highlights recent research, resources, and guidance related to children’s care and protection globally. This edition features notable guidance including General Comment No. 10 on Children Without Parental Care under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and Care Systems Reform, and the “Childhood at Risk on a Heating Planet” brief exploring how climate change heightens vulnerabilities for children without parental care.
A 14-year-old orphan, Saabirin Saylaan, was murdered by Hodan Mohamud Diiriye, the woman caring for her, after enduring months of severe abuse, prompting national outrage and protests in Galkayo. The case highlighted deep gaps in Somalia’s child protection system, where abuse within families often goes unreported and traditional clan mediation can override legal accountability. Diiriye was convicted of murder and is awaiting execution, while her husband received a lesser sentence for negligence.
Countries that sign the Global Charter on Children's Care Reform are encouraged to make their own commitments describing specific actions they will take to realise the aims of the Charter. This guidance document aims to support governments to design ambitious, measurable, and context-specific commitments that align with the Charter’s principles.
The ACERWC General Comment No. 10 provides authoritative guidance on implementing Article 25 of the African Charter, clarifying States’ obligations to protect and support children without parental care through prevention, family strengthening, quality alternative care, and comprehensive care-system reform.
In this video, practitioners, faith leaders, and a Kafaalah caregiver share experiences in promoting and strengthening Kafaalah as an important part of family-based alternative care in Kenya.