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This article presents the development, current status and contemporary challenges of foster care in Poland and Hungary. Both countries, due to their post-socialist tradition, are characterised by the experience of the development of institutionalised foster care during the socialist era, similar consequences of the socio-political transformation of the 1990s and a converging social policy context resulting from membership of the European Union structures for nearly 20 years. The …
Olesea, a 24-year old from Moldova with care experience, shares her story of transitioning from a child care institution to foster care.
Alexander is one of many Ukrainian teenagers who fled to Moldova unaccompanied. Thanks to the partnership between border police, child protection specialists working with UNICEF and local authorities, he was identified and integrated into a foster family from Causeni. Since the onset of the conflict, one of UNICEF's biggest priorities has been to protect children from abuse or trafficking.
Learning briefs are short resources that share more about how Changing the Way We Care undertakes a certain aspect of the care reform work and what some of the main lessons are. This learning brief was developed as part of the initiative's 2022 annual report and shares learning on family-based alternative care from Guatemala, Moldova, India and Kenya and links the reader to additional CTWWC resources on the topic.
Changing The Way We CareSM (CTWWC) is a global initiative designed to promote safe, nurturing family care for children. This includes reforming national…
Significance
There is evidence that the cognitive abilities of children who experience early, severe psychosocial deprivation are superior for those in family- versus group-based placements. However, it is unknown whether these placements have long-lasting effects. Using data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, we found that individuals randomized to foster care following early institutionalization had IQ scores in early adulthood that were, on average, 9.00 points above those of individuals assigned to care as usual. The persistence of causal effects of foster care…
This document is a summary of key findings and points of discussion that were highlighted by presenters and participants during the Addressing the Need for Foster Care in the Context of the Ukraine Crisis learning event that took place on 7 September 2022. It is drafted in line with existing legislation in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, and includes additional information and clarification from existing literature…
Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, the world has experienced a series of waves and variants of the ever evolving and vaccine eluding COVID-19 virus. Initial responses predominantly focused on slowing the spread of the virus and included movement restrictions, intra-country and inter-country border closings, quarantine, isolation, social distancing, and mask wearing. Whilst these responses aimed to slow the spread of the virus, they also tended to overlook the prioritization of vulnerable populations such as children with disabilities, children in alternative care…
This study examined longitudinal data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care as an alternative to institutional care following exposure to severe psychosocial deprivation. The authors report data from 135 participants assessed in early adulthood (age 18 y). They found that 16 years after randomization occurred, those who had been randomized to high-quality foster care had significantly higher IQ scores (9 points, 0.6 SD) than those randomized to care as usual.
Mediation analyses provide evidence that the causal effect of the intervention…
Following the onset of the crisis in Ukraine and due to the significant care issues affecting children impacted by the conflict and displacement, the Global Collaborative Platform supported by the Better Care Network established a temporary global inter-agency group focused on children’s care in the context of the Ukraine crisis – the Ukraine Children’s Care group. The group is convened by members of the Global Collaborative Platform with the purpose of facilitating practical coordination and collaboration amongst development and humanitarian care actors supporting or operating in Ukraine and…
Cross-border placement of children is addressed by the 1996 Hague Child Protection Convention, which is binding on the United Kingdom, and in EU law. The detailed procedures are governed by the domestic law of each country involved. However, it was not until 2018 that proceedings for placement of children in foster care by foreign authorities were introduced to Polish law. The fact that cross-border placements have become increasingly common has contributed significantly to the enactment of the new law. The available official data indicate that the British and German authorities are the most…