Prevention of children getting separated from their parents – as discussed in the previous few blogs – drastically reduces the number of children who need alternative care solutions. However, the number of children in need of alternative care will never be zero.
So if they should not go into an institution, where should they go? That is what this blog will look at.
Children who need caregivers other than their parents are those whose parents are simply not there, either because they have passed away, because they have left as migrant workers to earn money or because they are imprisoned for a crime. And there is a group of children who need different caregivers because their parents really cannot cope, whether that is because of mental health issue, alcohol and substance abuse or because of domestic violence, in these cases a child might not be safe, staying with her parents.
With this, just like when we explored how children end up in institutions, it is useful to start by looking at what is already happening in many countries around the world. Solutions are already staring us in the face.
For example, for many people it seems obvious that particularly in the case of orphans, who have lost both their parents, there is a need for so-called orphanages, because: What else is there? Well, when you look at the situation all around the world you find that not only do 80-90% of children living in ‘orphanages’ have at least one living parent, when you look at the full orphans (those who have lost both parents) in any country, you find that generally more than 90% of them have been taken in by members of their extended family or by members of the community they live in.
This is a pretty universal solution, seen almost everywhere. On many Pacific island nations and in Comoros in Africa and the United Arab Emirates the extended family forms almost the entire extend of the alternative care system. Residential childcare institutions do not exist in those countries, and not all of them have a formal alternative care system at all. The extended family and the community form the safety net that helps not only children whose parents are not able to care for them, but all members who are struggling in some way.
When the state extends the same kind of support to children in extended family members that they provide for children in foster families or for children in institutions, a lot fewer children – even those who really cannot stay with their own parents – would need to end up in formal alternative care. While they are unable to stay with their parents, they can still remain within their own family and community, helping them feel secure in a familiar environment and helping them build their sense of self and their identity.
The first step in looking for family-based solutions should always be looking towards the child’s family and how it can be supported to help the child. This is the most beneficial and the most cost-effective option.
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