Care for Children's pioneering work enables governments to place orphans and vulnerable children into local families as a positive alternative to institutional care.

Why we do it

Worldwide, there are an estimated 8 million children living in institutional care (a type of residential care for large groups of children; also known as institutions, orphanages, or children's homes). However, it is recognised that this may just be the 'tip of the iceberg' and there are many more children across the world continuing to live in institutions who are unaccounted for.

The negative impact of institutional care has been widely recognised, and research has highlighted adverse effects on children's social, psychological, emotional and physical wellbeing. These include developmental delays and low educational attainment, emotional difficulties, identity and self-esteem issues, behaviour difficulties, social and attachment problems, and difficulties adjusting to adult life.

It has been internationally recognised that institutions are not the most appropriate places for children to live, and that family-based care is better for children's development and wellbeing.

As there are still millions of children living in institutions across the world, there is a need to strengthen family-based alternatives.

How we do it

Care for Children develops strategic partnerships with governments to support their transition from institutional care to alternative family-based care for orphans and vulnerable children.

For family care to be securely embedded and available in all parts of a country, the government needs to take the lead in setting up a national system, governed by minimum standards, practice guidance, regulations and legislation. The goal is for both private and government family care to operate in line with the government's standards and be subject to external monitoring.

Care for Children's team of social work and international development experts works alongside national and local government departments to train staff from government-run institutions and other relevant stakeholders to become family placement workers. They are empowered to recruit, assess and train suitable families, as well as place, support and monitor children as they move from institutions into local families.

Care for Children creates bespoke training materials and programmes to suit the unique political and cultural characteristics of each country that we work in. Instead of focusing only on individual institutions or cities, Care for Children's approach is designed to enable nationwide, systemic developments to the child welfare system, with the intention of enabling many thousands of vulnerable children to be placed into local, loving, and secure families.