Child Care and Protection System Reforms

Social welfare sector reform is increasingly common, particularly in transitional countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Increasing attention has been paid to the development of preventive community based child and family welfare programs that would, in coordination with health and education programs and social assistance, provide a range of support for vulnerable families.

Recognition of the damaging effects of institutional care on children and its high cost has influenced governments to redirect resources towards alternative family and community-based care practices such as kinship care, fostering, and adoption. Redirecting resources in the context of social welfare reforms requires a commitment from governments to provide adequate financing for effective policy implementation.

Funding availability raises a variety of issues regarding the level and type of support to be provided, the private or public management of services, and the entitlement process. Social welfare should protect the rights of children and their caretakers via fair and clear criteria of support provisions, with transparent procedures for the effective allocation of services.

Social welfare reforms to protect and support children and families need to be built on legal protections and child care policies which reflect the same child centred goals. Alternative forms of community based care, combined with social reintegration programmes and family support services, must be developed to reduce the use of institutions and enable children leaving institutions to rejoin their communities.

The resources in this section focus on country initiatives in reforming their social welfare sector to finance community based care developments.

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Expanding the Social Security Net in South Africa: Opportunities, Challenges, and Constraints

Kalie Pauw and Liberty Mncube, 2007

Examines constraints to expansion of the social welfare net in South Africa. Cites substitution taking place within the social budget since education and health expenditures have already declined in favour of increased welfare transfer expenditures.

Enhanced Protection for Children Affected by AIDS: A Companion Paper to The OVC Framework

UNICEF, 31 Dec 2006

Outlines how to strengthen social protection, legal protection, and alternative care for children at country level. Contains specific actions that governments and NGO's can take to decrease the vulnerability of children affected by AIDS and respond to instances of abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Standards for Children's Home in Guyana

Ministry of Human Services and Social Security , 01 Aug 2006

A set of standards for measurable quality in service provision for children living in homes. Outlines the rights of a child, planning and legalizing children’s care, children’s home administration, management and staffing, and safeguarding child welfare while in the home, which includes nutrition, health, education and religion.

Orphanage Assessment Report

Sophie T. Parwon, 01 Jun 2006

Documents assessment of child welfare and protection of children in orphanages in Liberia.

Evaluation of Child Protection Projects in Georgia

UNICEF, 01 Mar 2006

Assessment of two recently reformed child protection projects in Georgia (Prevention of Infant Abandonment and De-institutionalisation (PIAD) and Family Support and Foster Care (FS&FC)). Includes detailed evaluation methodology and lessons learned.

Development of International Standards for the Protection of Children Deprived of Parental Care

NGO Working Group on Children without Parental Care, 02 Feb 2006

Presentation on the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care of Children.

Conditional Cash Transfers: An Annotated Bibliography

Andrea Schapper, International Labour Organization, 02 Jan 2006

This document contains a bibliography global conditional cash transfer documents.

Implementation of the Child Support Grant: A Study of Four Provinces and Recommendations for Improved Service Delivery

Beth Goldblatt, Solange Rosa, and Katharine Hall, 2006

Using fieldwork data from six sites, this report addresses the need for improved delivery of the Child Support Grant in South Africa. Includes a comprehensive review of the grant components and current system of delivery. Recommended changes to the act and regulations are highlighted.

Consultancy on the Establishment of Foster Care Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards for Insitutional Care of Children in Guyana

Andrew Dunn and John Parry-Williams - UNICEF, 2006

Detailed guidelines for the establishment of the Child Protection Service (CPS), designed to address the lack of regulations concerning standards in children’s institutions and the lack of departmental policy and procedures for assessing and assisting abused and at-risk children. Includes comprehensive set of CPS forms in 14 annexes.

Emerging Practices in Community-Based Services for Vulnerable Groups: A Study of Social Services Delivery Systems in Europe and Eurasia

Rebecca T. Davis, 2006

Examines the transition from residential care to family-based, community care models in five European / Eurasian countries.