Care for Children’s partnership with the Chinese government has been strengthened by more than 20 years of collaboration and mutual respect. Together, we have transformed the lives of a generation of China’s most vulnerable children by leveraging innovations in practical and theoretical social care, and bringing world-class expertise to China.

Under the authority of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, we partner with the China Association of Social Workers to move children out of government-run care institutions and place them into local, loving families.

Children’s Community Resource Centres

Care for Children, with support from the Ikea Foundation, is now preparing to invest ¥3million (approximately £350,000) initially into an ambitious new project aimed at supporting children as they are moved out of care institutions, as well as providing vital services for the wider communities.

As more children move out of institutions, space is created. This space can then can be used to provide specialist services to families in the local community. Working with institutions in five cities across China: Kunming; Chengdu; Xining; Yinchuan; and Datong, we see an amazing opportunity to develop these spaces to help bring wider change to their communities. Each of the five communities will have different needs, and the services they provide will reflect this. We are currently undertaking research to assess these needs, and expect the results to recommend various different resources such as under–fives care, special needs education, physiotherapy and family support.

The five project sites will act as templates for other institutions within their provinces, offering two main benefits;

1. As children are moved out of institutions, key resources are already in place to support them in foster families. This will bolster the already high success-rate of family placements and promote better outcomes for the children.

2. There is also a preventative element to this project. Families who struggle with health or financial difficulties sometimes abandon their children in the hope they will receive a better education and standard of care. The community resources will help give these families the confidence and support to continue caring for their children themselves.

We believe that building up these community hubs across China can give the Family Placement Project that the Chinese government and Care for Children have been working on even greater impact. We are looking to secure matching funds for this inspirational project to empower and transform children’s lives.

On Tuesday, 24th October, we will launch our innovative new project aimed at supporting disadvantaged children and families in communities across China. Our Window to China launch will be made up of two separate events, one of which is an exhibition held at the Island Shangri-La hotel, which will provide a glimpse into the future of family life for orphaned and abandoned children in china. The second is a charity dinner, which will celebrate the official launch of our partnership with the five project sites. Our UK ambassador Bear Grylls will also join us pre-dinner for a drinks reception and Q&A interview.