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Alternative care
Millions of children are living without the loving, nurturing care that allows them to be safe and grow up enjoying their childhood. Many children remain in families unable to offer them adequate care because they are too poor and lack adequate support. Other children end up in poor quality alternative care or on the street.
Save the Children recognizes that residential care can be appropriate for a small minority of children and should be available as a last resort for those children with no other options. In those contexts, regulated, safe institutions that meet agreed-upon standards can save children's lives and give them opportunities to learn and develop that they would not otherwise have. However, scientific evidence suggests that institutional care can cause significant harm to children's physical, intellectual and emotional development, with children under the age of three being particularly at risk.
Save the Children supports the development of family-based alternative care options in children's own communities for those children who cannot be with their parents. These options include foster care, kinship care and domestic adoption. The organization supports the transition away from existing institutional care services while at the same time ensuring minimum standards during the remaining time institutions provide care for children.
There is also growing international, regional and country level action towards tackling both care and protection issues via strengthening national child protection systems and reforming the care system within the broader framework.
Photo: Chloe White/Save the Children
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The family conferencing: A ground-breaking practice for community based child protection in Kenya
This research illustrates the findings of a retrospective analysis of 73 Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) conferences conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, between July 2005 and January 2008. The conference addresses the wellbeing of 73 children referred as we
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PowerPoint presentations for the Training Manual Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific: Introduction to the Care Strategy of Save the Children [Other Agency Version- Session 1]
PowerPoint presentation that is part of the session materials for "the Training Manual Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific" published by Save the Children Child Protection Initiative (CPI). It focuses on the strategies of other orga
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Update on Children Without Appropriate Care
Update on children without appropriate care (CWAC) for Save the Children staff working to support CWAC at all levels and in every region. It is the first of forthcoming quarterly updates of policy, research, advocacy and programming news that will help st
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Keeping children out of harmful institutions- Why we should be investing in family-based care
One of the biggest myths is that children in orphanages are there because they have no parents. This is not the case. Most are there because their parents simply can’t afford to feed, clothe and educate them. For governments and donors, placing children i
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Children without Appropriate Care: Training Manual for Asia and the Pacific
The training package "Children without Appropriate Care: Training Manual for Asia and the Pacific" has been prepared by Louise Melville Fulford for the Save the Children Child Protection Initiative (CPI). Applicable for both Save the Children staff and no
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The Palestinian National Authority Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Executive Summary
This initial report on the Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA’s) implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) represents a compilation and review of existing national legislation, policy, practices, data and measur
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Guía de estándares para el personal de las entidades públicas y privadas que se ocupan de la protección de derechos de niñas, niños y adolescentes
This publication was prepared by the Red Latinoamericana de Acogimiento Familiar (Network of Latin-American Fostering Families), RELAF, with the cooperation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It is mainly aimed at professional operators and p
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PowerPoint presentations for the Training Manual on Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific: Save the Children version- Session 1]
PowerPoint presentation that is part of the session materials for the "Training Manual on Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific", published by Save the Children Child Protection Initiative (CPI). It briefly presents Save the Children’
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Children without Appropriate Care. Advocacy Messages
Standard Advocacy Messages on children without appropriate care (CWAC) developed in consultation with the Child Protection Initiative Task Group on CWAC and other field and head office experts from across Save the Children. They reflect the priorities wit
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Fostering better care. Improving foster care provision around the world
The paper suggests that further efforts are needed to ensure that foster care is an option open to a wider range of children. Foster care leads to better outcomes for children than harmful forms of residential care, and may be a more suitable choice than
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Retrak PEPFAR Summary Report: Sustainable Reintegration of Orphans and Vulnerable Children into Family and Community Life in Uganda and Ethiopia
Retrak is a UK based charity that works with street associated children in Africa to give them a real alternative to life on the street. Between 2008 and 2011, Retrak in Uganda and Ethiopia was able to support over 2800 street children and more than 1800
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PowerPoint presentations for the Training Manual on Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific: Save the Children Resources [Session 9]
PowerPoint presentation that is part of the session materials for "the Training Manual on Children without Appropriate Care for Asia and the Pacific" published by Save the Children Child Protection Initiative (CPI). The training workshop is targeted at po