Family Strengthening: A collection of best practices from Eastern Europe

In December 2018, Save the Children (SC) commissioned the knowledge organization International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) to do an assessment on best practices of Family Strengthening interventions in middle-income countries. The aim is to provide policymakers, service-providing organizations and child protection practitioners and child rights advocates with an easy to use reference document, to augment the implementation of support programmes for children and families in vulnerable circumstances.

Family Strengthening is a thematic focus area for SC´s Eastern Europe sub-region. A number of interventions have been developed across Eastern Europe and across other regions (Asia, Africa and Latin America) by Save the Children, as well as by other (inter-)national organizations. The mapping of Family Strengthening interventions initially had a worldwide focus, but was later narrowed down to Central and Eastern European middle-income countries, since these share similar transition processes in social protection. It included interventions from the SC global movement, as well as interventions developed by other (inter-)national organizations. The aim was not to come up with an exhaustive overview, in which all known interventions, models and approaches were covered (this proofed simply impossible). The goal was primarily to provide a practical, easy to use sharing document, which can support the realization of interventions that have proven to be efficient, effective and sustainable.