As mentioned HERE at the end of September an order was given in India to move 184,000 children from institutions back to their families or else into other family-based placements within 100 days. In response to this situation, I developed two strategies to help institutions prepare children for the move as well as possible in the limited time allowed and to help organisations support children who had already been moved out with little or no preparation or support, to mitigate the risks of these situations. These strategies were written in such a way that they are relevant for India, but can also be used in other countries.
Continue reading “Rapid Return Strategies”Author: Florence
I am the founder of and consultant at Family-Based Solutions. I have started this website and this community, and I am the moderator. I have been involved in alternative care since 2007, having been involved up close in China, Brazil, India, Kenya and Myanmar.
Initially I ran another NGO dedicated to improving the chance of survival and the quality of life of children in institutions, over time getting more and more involved with family-based alternatives and community services. In 2018 I folded the previous NGO and founded Family-Based Solutions. You can find more information on what I do now on the other pages of this website.
Birthday Traditions
With my birthday coming up this weekend, I guess I had better uphold the tradition created over the past two years of writing a birthday blog (you can read the previous ones HERE and HERE). In the previous blogs, I discussed the many children who do not get to celebrate their birthday, either because they grow up in an institution where no one cares about it, or because they do not know when their birthday is because their birth was never registered. This year I want to look at the significance of birthday traditions.
Continue reading “Birthday Traditions”Reunion versus Reintegration
When talking about children leaving institutions (or other alternative care placements) and going to live with their own family again two words are generally used: reuniting with the family and reintegrating into the family. These terms have been used before in the blogs as well, particularly with regards to children suddenly being returned to their families during pandemic lockdowns. Some people use these two words as if they mean the same thing but they do not. It is very important – particularly to the children – to understand the difference between the two.
Continue reading “Reunion versus Reintegration”Innocenti’s Report Card Recommendations
In the previous blog (HERE), I discussed some of the finding from the 16th Report Card brought out by UNICEF’s Innocenti last month, ranking 41 rich countries on the well-being of their children. In this blog, I want to have a look at some of the recommendations given in the report.
Continue reading “Innocenti’s Report Card Recommendations”UNICEF Innocenti’s Report Card
At the start of last month, UNICEF launched its 16th Innocenti Report Card, looking at the well-being of children in 41 rich countries. I attended the launch webinar and read the report and want to share some of what I read and heard.
Continue reading “UNICEF Innocenti’s Report Card”Fast Return Order in India
Last week, I wrote about the study on the problems associated with rapid return of children to their families as part of pandemic precaution measures (HERE). Shortly before that blog became public, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in India directed 8 states to ensure that children living in Child Care Institutions there were returned to their families preferably within 100 days. This is very alarming news.
Continue reading “Fast Return Order in India”Mandated Rapid Return of Children
In a previous blog (HERE), I have mentioned the fact that pandemic restrictions have led to some countries requiring children in institutions to be sent home with little or no notice. Recently, the journal Child Abuse and Neglect published an article about research done on children living in institutions who had been rapidly returned to their families due to a government mandate as a result of measures taken to control the spread of Covid-19. The research did a survey on the circumstances of the rapid return of the children and the challenges that were encountered.
Continue reading “Mandated Rapid Return of Children”Remember the UNGA Resolution on Child Rights?
Last December, there was a lot of excitement about the adoption of an unprecedented UN Resolution on Child Rights (you can read the blog about that HERE). It raised a lot of hope that there would be a real boost in making sure Governments take measures to ensure that children can grow up in their own families or in family-based alternative care. And then the pandemic happened.
Continue reading “Remember the UNGA Resolution on Child Rights?”Family Strengthening IS Economic Stimulus
While there was a sense of relief when the EU managed to reach agreement on the Recovery Fund, which is to help EU economies fund economic stimulus to prevent the post-pandemic recession from becoming a bottomless pit, and the next EU long-term budget, there was disappointment too. There had been a lot of hope among people like me who work for child protection and child rights coming up to these talks. This was because there was to be a requirement for EU member states to spend at least 5% of the resources allocated to them from the European Social Fund Plus on addressing child poverty. In the text of the final agreement, this requirement was not mentioned.
Continue reading “Family Strengthening IS Economic Stimulus”Proof That Funding Determines Where Children Go
I have repeatedly written about the ‘orphanage industry’ and how funding and/or volunteering in ‘orphanages’ causes children to be separated from their parents and to end up living in institutions. You can read about that HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. I have made the following claim many times:
Continue reading “Proof That Funding Determines Where Children Go”