Effects of Institutional Care

Institutionalising children has been shown to cause a wide range of problems for their development, well-being and longer-term outcomes. Institutional care does not adequately provide the level of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers which is essential for the successful emotional, physical, mental, and social development of children. This is profoundly relevant for children under 3 years of age for whom institutional care has been shown to be especially damaging.

Common issues for children in institutional care are a significantly increased risk of sexual and physical abuse, a lack of stimulation, and harsh discipline. Children in institutions are less likely to attend school, and are frequently isolated from their traditional communities. Long periods in an institution make it harder for a child to assimilate back into a family and community, and deny them access to the life-long attachments and community support systems that family relationships and communities can provide. For funders and implementing bodies, care in the community is a significantly more effective and sustainable use of resources since it avoids the high maintenance costs of institutions, and prevents many of the problems posed by institutional care.

It is widely accepted that institutions should be used as a last resort only. Countries which have traditionally relied on institutional care are now transforming their institutions into small family style group homes and actively pursuing preferences for community-based care options based around small family style units. This policy shift is urgently required in HIV/AIDS affected countries which are taking a backward step in resorting to the use of institutions to care for children orphaned or affected by the disease.

The body of literature contained in this section provides in-depth explanations of the damaging effects of institutionalisation on children and provides recommendations for alterative community care options.

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Perceived Effects of Prolonged Residential Care for Children: Botswana Experience

DIRADITSILE Kabo and MMEANYANA Ivy Gosego - African Journal of Social Work, 20 Dec 2019

This study determined the perceived effects of prolonged residential care for children in Botswana.

Stress sensitization among severely neglected children and protection by social enrichment

Mark Wade, Charles H. Zeanah, Nathan A. Fox, Florin Tibu, Laura E. Ciolan, Charles A. Nelson - Nature Communications, 18 Dec 2019

The current study uses data from a longitudinal randomized controlled trial to examine whether severe early neglect among children reared in institutions increases vulnerability to the effects of later stressful life events on externalizing problems in adolescence, and whether social enrichment in the form of high-quality foster care buffers this risk.

Early lexical development of children raised in institutional care in Russia

Marina A. Zhukova, Sergey A. Kornilov, Stella N. Tseitlin, Marina B. Eliseeva, Elena A. Vershinina, Rifkat J. Muhamedrahimov, Elena L. Grigorenko - British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 02 Dec 2019

To investigate the early language development of children raised in institutional settings in the Russian Federation, the authors of this study compared a group of children in institutional care to their age‐matched peers raised in biological families, who have never been institutionalized using the Russian version of the CDI.

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Developmental Effects of Parent–Child Separation

Anne Bentley Waddoups, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, and Kendra Strouf - Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 01 Dec 2019

This article reviews the effects on children and youth of parent–child separation due to several of the most common reasons that are responsible for the growth in this family circumstance worldwide.

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Invisible Children: Visible Harms - The Scale and Effects of Child Institutionalisation

Lancet, Lumos, 01 Dec 2019

This is a summary of three major new papers published in the Lancet with the support of Lumos which shed new light on the situation of children living in institutions globally and make important recommendations for donors, governments, civil society and individuals to help ensure every child can grow up in a safe, supportive and loving family and have the best chance in life.

Children Under Institutional Care: Ensuring Quality Care and Safety

Sibnath Deb, Aleena Maria Sunny, Bishakha Majumdar - Disadvantaged Children in India , 24 Nov 2019

The main focus of this chapter is to define institutions, their objectives and the nature of services rendered.

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Executive function and early adversity in internationally adopted children

Peñarrubia María, Palacios Jesús, Román Maite - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Nov 2019

In this study, executive functions were examined in post-institutionalized children adopted into Spanish families from Russian institutions.

A Dead End for Children: Bulgaria’s Group Homes

Eric Rosenthal, Dragana Ciric Milovanovic, Laurie Ahern - Disability Rights International, 19 Nov 2019

The main finding of this report from Disability Rights International (DRI) is that Bulgaria has replaced a system of large, old orphanages with newer, smaller buildings that are still operating as institutions.

Early family adversity, stability and consistency of institutional care and infant cognitive, language and motor development across the first six months of institutionalization

Joana Baptista, Jay Belsky, Sofia Marques, Joana R. Silva, Carla Martins, Isabel Soares - Infant Behavior and Development, 09 Nov 2019

This study extends research on the effects of institutionalization—by examining the trajectories of cognitive, language and motor development of 64 Portuguese infants and toddlers across the first six months of institutionalization, while determining whether pre-institutional adversities and the stability and consistency of institutional care predict children’s development.

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How Did We Get Here?

A World Without Orphans, 07 Nov 2019

A World Without Orphans original animation. Find out more at: www.worldwithoutorphans.org