Displaying 1 - 10 of 20
Kinship care involves children who cannot be cared for by parents being looked after by relatives or friends of the family. In Zimbabwe, around a quarter of all children are estimated to be in kinship care. Regional and global guidance state that kinship care should always be explored as the first option when children are separated from parents. It can offer a safe and caring environment, where children speak their own languages and follow their own traditions. However, without support, kinship care families often face challenges, especially as most kinship carers are elderly grandmothers…
This case study documents the journey of Okot, one of many children in the Kakuma camp in Kenya, living with relatives. There are over 8,000 unaccompanied and separated children living in the Kakuma and Kalobeyei camps, the majority of whom are in kinship care (children cared for by relatives or friends of the family). These children are assessed and provided with case management support where necessary. Children in kingship care are also supported through regular follow-up visits from child protection volunteers and village child protection committees.
The …
This IACN report outlines the importance of families for the emotional, physical, and cognitive growth of children. The authors discuss that all efforts should be made to provide family-based care to children without parental care, and institutionalisation should be a measure of last resort for the optimum development of children. The report draws on the experiences of eight families in kinship care arrangements and the children placed with them.
Kinship care – the care of children by relatives or friends of the family - represents a significant resource available for meeting the needs of girls and boys who are orphaned or otherwise live apart from their parents. 1 in 10 children worldwide are living in kinship care. In some countries, it is as high as 1 in 3. This makes it the most common type of care, after parental care. Kinship care can support the most vulnerable children in ordinary and crisis periods.
In this How We…
The goal of this case study is to demonstrate a working model of family-based care in Zambia which can produce a replicable framework that can be modified for other regions and circumstances. This paper seeks to shed light on positive outcomes when family-based care is prioritized. Drawing on over twenty years of experience in family-based care, Alliance for Children Everywhere seeks to share their experience in Zambia and support a transition to family-based care to other OVC organizations within Southern Africa and beyond.
How We Care is an initiative of Family for Every Child designed for those working with children and families across the world, to help them to learn from other practitioners. Family for Every Child’s Members work in diverse regions and contexts globally. These pages showcase a variety of their practice, in order to generate learning and exchange across the Alliance and beyond.
Series include:
- …
In this two-part video, you’ll hear from Children in Families ABLE project practitioners, Sorn Sreyny and Lisa Yunker, as they share their experience of making family-based care in Cambodia inclusive for children with disabilities.
In part one, Sreyny and Lisa discuss their key learning with respect to supporting caregivers to care for children, including the importance of managing stress and expectations, developing trusting relationships and taking a whole family approach to support.
In…
In this two-part video, you’ll hear from Children in Families ABLE project practitioners, Sorn Sreyny and Lisa Yunker, as they share their experience of making family-based care in Cambodia inclusive for children with disabilities.
In part one, Sreyny and Lisa discuss their key learning with respect to supporting caregivers to care for children, including the importance of managing stress and expectations…
Reform is necessary in [the U.S. state of] Minnesota to address both the statutory and procedural barriers that impede relatives from being licensed as foster care providers. This article tracks the history of foster care licensing requirements in Minnesota, discusses the real-life story of a grandmother with a grandchild placed in foster care, explains the federal mandates established through the Adam Walsh Act, discusses the existing flaws in the process, and highlights the ways in which Minnesota’s current statutory scheme and processes disproportionally impact communities of…
To address the challenges faced by incarcerated parents and their families in the United States, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), in collaboration with the Urban Institute and Community Works West, have developed a set of model practices to facilitate parent-child communication and contact during parental incarceration. The objective of this document is to detail a set of practices that correctional administrators can implement to remove barriers that inhibit children from cultivating or maintaining relationships with their incarcerated…