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The Department of Social Welfare (DSW) in Ghana manages the activities of Residential Homes for Children (RHCs) to ensure that orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana are protected and cared for when they are placed in institutions. In recent years, the number of orphanages in Ghana has increased, as have reports of abuse, molestation, and neglect in these residential homes and many orphanages in the country are alleged to be operating below the basic standards set by the DSW.
This study, therefore, was conducted to determine whether the regulation of the operations of RHCs under the DSW…
This report - produced by SOS Children’s Villages, Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland, and the University of Malawi - is based on a synthesis of eight assessments of the implementation of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (“the Guidelines”) in Benin, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It considers common challenges to implementing the Guidelines identified in the eight countries and provides a platform for effective advocacy to promote every child’s right to quality care. At the end of each chapter, the report provides…
There is a growing interest in applying the systems approach to strengthening child protection efforts. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the systems approach shifts attention to a larger systemic framework that includes legal and policy contexts, institutional capacity, community contexts, planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation subsystems. This paper is a response to the increasing need for agreement on approaches and documented evidence of good practices consistent with system strengthening work.
The purpose of the Inter-Agency Working Paper is to…
There is growing agreement that separated children are best cared for in community settings, rather than in institutions. However, even in a community setting, there is a need for standards of care that allow for monitoring of children’s well-being. This is particularly important in countries such as Sierra Leone which is recovering from a brutal civil war and suffering from poverty, malnutrition, and limited access to adequate medical care. Since the civil war ended in Sierra Leone, child fostering—whether informal or facilitated by humanitarian agencies and the government—has become the…
In just over two decades, HIV/AIDS has grown from a health crisis into an economic and developmental crisis. By the end of 2000, there were more than 36.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, including 1.5 million children under the age of 15. Ninety percent of those infected live in developing countries, 75% in Sub-Saharan Africa. As HIV/AIDS impacts on communities, children are often the most adversely affected. The devastating impact of the disease threatens the very fabric of the society-the family-as parents and caregivers die and leave children behind. It is estimated that more…