Institutional care – The last resort (Policy Brief)

Up to 8 million children worldwide live in institutions, even though most of them have one or both parents alive. Research shows that growing up in an institution can damage and delay children’s development and make them vulnerable to neglect, violence and abuse. Yet the emphasis in too many countries continues to be on supporting residential care for children rather than helping families to care for them.Save the Children believes that children are generally best cared for by their families or in family-based settings in their own communities.This brief looks at: Why children are in institutions; What’s wrong with institutions; and what Save the Children is calling for.