Children Affected by Poverty and Social Exclusion

Around the world, poverty and social exclusion are driving factors behind the placement of children into alternative care. Families give up their children because they are too poor to care for them, or they feel that it is the best way to help them to access basic services such as education and health care. Discrimination and cultural taboos mean that girls, children with disabilities, ethnic minorities, children with HIV/AIDS and children born out of wedlock, make up a disproportionate number of children abandoned into alternative care.

Poor-quality alternative care leads to a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality. With limited family-based alternative care options in many countries, children often end up in institutional care. Already marginalized by poverty or stigmatization, they risk becoming further excluded from society, as they grow up separated from their families and communities. In the worst cases, inadequate or unsafe care standards expose them to neglect, violence and abuse. When they eventually leave institutional care, young adults may then struggle to reintegrate into their communities and face high rates of homelessness, unemployment, chronic poverty, depression and even suicide.

Greater political and financial commitment is needed to tackle the poverty and social exclusion that drives families to give up their children. This includes wide-ranging measures to combat poverty, discrimination and stigmatization, to change attitudes towards single parenthood and disability, and to adopt social policies promoting family empowerment and parenting skills. Greater priority must also be given to developing good-quality family-based care options, such as foster care and adoption, for the girls and boys who need alternative families.

The documents in this section examine the relationship between poverty, social exclusion and placement of children in alternative care.

Displaying 411 - 420 of 498

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HIV - Sensitive Social Protection: What Does the Evidence Say?

UNAIDS, 30 Dec 2010

Shows how HIV-sensitive social protection can reduce vulnerability to HIV infection, improve and extend the lives of people living with HIV, and support individuals and households. While not specific to children, the paper includes sections on HIV and Child Protection and HIV and Early Childhood Development.

Tackling Child Poverty & Improving Child Well-Being: Lessons from Britain

Jane Waldfogel, 01 Dec 2010

This paper, written for a US audience, describes recent efforts to reduce child poverty by a peer country, Britain. Drawing on research carried out over the past decade, this paper summarizes what we know about Britain’s war on poverty, their likely next steps, and implications and lessons for the US.

Positively Caring: Ensuring that Positive Choices Can Be Made about the Care of Children Affected by HIV

EveryChild , 20 Nov 2010

This report examines the impacts of HIV on the care choices of children, exploring how HIV affects whether or not children can remain within parental care, and on the alternative care options open to them.

Children and Adolescents without Parental Care in Latin America: Contexts, causes, and consequences of being deprived of the right to family

Relaf, 13 Aug 2010

This paper aims to show different organisations, institutions, governments and civil society the reality facing thousands of children in Latin America. This information can be used as a tool for debating and prioritising the issue as well as promoting constructing good practices and public policies that will improve the wellbeing and chances to develop of children without parental care and/or who are at risk of losing

Cambodia Country Report: Poverty alleviation with a focus on vulnerable peoplethrough strengthening collaboration between the social welfare and health services

Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, 01 Aug 2010

This report from the Cambodian Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation outlines the efforts of the Cambodian government to address the needs of vulnerable people.

MDG Good Practices

United Nations Development Group , 23 Jul 2010

Good practices covered in this publication have sought to address specific constraints and challenges in achieving the Goals, in each country’s context, with specific examples related to care and protection for vulnerable children.

Children and adolescents without parental care in Latin America: Contexts, causes and consequences of being deprived of the right to family and community

RELAF and SOS Children’s Villages International, 01 Jun 2010

This paper is based on The Latin American Report: The situation of children in Latin America without parental care or at risk of losing it. Contexts, causes and responses, which was prepared using reports from 13 countries in the region. The paper gives an overview of the state of one of the most fundamental rights - the right to parental care, a keystone for the right to live in a family and a community.

Young Care Leavers and Social Inclusion: Matrix of Guidelines for Life after Institutional Care

Amici de Bambini, 01 Mar 2010

In response to the increased social exclusion affecting youth leaving care, Amici de Bambini developed Matrix of Guidelines for Life after Institutional Care, which can be used to increase the likelihood of social inclusion for young people who have been released from the child protection system.

The Way We Care: A Guide for Managers of Programs Serving Vulnerable Children and Youth

Family Health International, 19 Feb 2010

Manual aims to develop awareness, reinforce knowledge, and assist those designing, implementing, or managing programs for children and youth affected by poverty, HIV and AIDS, and other diseases.

U.S. Government and Partners: Working Together on a Comprehensive, Coordinated and Effective Response to Highly Vulnerable Children

USG Secretariat for Orphans and Vulnerable Children , 01 Dec 2009

Provides global estimates of the number of highly vulnerable children; a summary of United States Government (USG) assistance programs for highly vulnerable children; a summary of progress coordinating the response among USG agencies; key strategic issues and opportunities; priorities for 2009–2010 and beyond; and a summary of the results and achievements of USG assistance