Residential Care

Residential care refers to any group living arrangement where children are looked after by paid staff in a specially designated facility. It covers a wide variety of settings ranging from emergency shelters and small group homes, to larger-scale institutions such as orphanages or children’s homes. As a general rule, residential care should only be provided on a temporary basis, for example while efforts are made to promote family reintegration or to identify family based care options for children. In some cases however, certain forms of residential care can operate as a longer-term care solution for children.

Residential care can be a positive alternative for some girls and boys when it is used appropriately and meets certain standards. For example, small group home living arrangements or supported independent living can work well in cases where children (often older teenagers) don’t feel comfortable in a family setting, or where large groups of siblings want to stay together. Similarly in cases where children have suffered trauma, severe abuse or neglect, have a severe disability or require specialised support, small group settings where trained staff can provide therapeutic care may be an appropriate care option. As much as possible, residential facilities should be small, community-based, organised to resemble a family-type or small-group situation and allow for sufficient staff to provide individualised attention to children.

It is important to distinguish between residential care and institutional care, which should only be used as a last and temporary resort for children. Institutional care refers to large-scale group care within big institutional facilities and has been associated with a wide range of problems for children including physical, social and emotional under-development - with babies and infants under the age of three especially vulnerable to lasting harm. Long periods in an institution can deprive children of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers, make it difficult for them to assimilate back into a family and community, and are often linked to increased risk of sexual and physical abuse, a lack of stimulation, and harsh discipline.

In recent years, deinstitutionalisation has been at the heart of national care reform efforts, which seek to reduce reliance on institutional care and to promote family and community based care options for children instead. This includes efforts to promote ethical volunteerism within residential care centres, educate donors and to avoid proliferation of orphanages and children’s homes after humanitarian emergencies.

The documents in this section outline residential care options for children, examine the damaging impact of institutions, explore family and community-based care alternatives and describe care reform efforts including initiatives around ethical volunteerism.

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Приложение к Технической Записке Защита Детей во Время Пандемии COVID-19: Дети и Альтернативный Уход

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Данный сопроводительный документ к технической записке «Защита Детей во Время Пандемии COVID-19: Дети и Альтернативный Уход» содержит полезные рекомендации, которые помогут привлечь к участию все заинтересованные стороны.

Annexe à la Fiche Technique Interorganisations sur la Protection des Enfants Durant la Pandémie de Covid-19: Les Enfants et la Protection de Remplacement

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Ce document qui accompagne la Fiche Technique interorganisations sur la Protection des enfants durant la pandémie de COVID-19 : les enfants et la protection de remplacement fournit des conseils utiles pour promouvoir l’implication et la participation de toutes les parties prenantes, qui sont indispensables pour maintenir la continuité des services pour les enfants.

La Protezione Dei Bambini Durante La Pandemia di COVID-19: Bambini ed accoglienza etero-familiare

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

L’obiettivo della presente nota tecnica è di aiutare i professionisti di protezione dell’infanzia e i funzionari governativi nelle loro azioni di risposta immediata ai problemi relativi alla protezione dell’infanzia affrontati dai bambini a rischio di separazione o in affido etero-familiare durante la pandemia di COVID-19.

Anexă la Nota tehnică inter-instituțională privind Protecția Copiilor În Perioada Pandemiei De Covid-19: Copiii Și Îngrijirea Alternativă

Better Care Network, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and UNICEF and Inter-agency Task Force, 09 Apr 2020

Acest document de însoțire a Notei tehnice inter-instituționale privind Protecția copiilor în perioada pandemiei de COVID-19: Copiii și îngrijirea alternativă oferă sfaturi utile pentru promovarea implicării și participării tuturor părților interesate, care este esențială pentru asigurarea continuității serviciilor pentru copii.

Standard Operating Procedures for Prevention and Management of COVID-19 in Child Care Institutions

Udayan Care, 07 Apr 2020

This booklet from Udayan Care provides guidance on how to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in child care institutions in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Standard Operating Procedures for Prevention and Management of COVID-19 in Child Care Institutions (Hindi)

Udayan Care, 07 Apr 2020

This booklet from Udayan Care provides guidance on how to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in child care institutions in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regulating Australia’s Participation in the Orphanage Industry

Kathryn E. van Doore - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 04 Apr 2020

This article traces the evolution of the recognition of orphanage trafficking broadly, and then focusses on recommendations made by the Australian government following the release of its 2017 Hidden in Plain Sight Report.

Supporting the educational attainment of youth in residential care: From issues to controversies

Élodie Marion & Varda Mann-Feder - Children and Youth Services Review, 03 Apr 2020

The research objective is to understand the development of collaboration in relation to the multiple issues that influence the educational attainment of youth in out-of-home care.

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Child sexual abuse in custodial institutions

Dr Andrea Darling, Beth Mooney, Dr Sophia King, Rachel Hurcombe, Claire Soares, Grace Ablett, Dr Verena Brähler - Truth Project, 01 Apr 2020

This report describes the experiences of Truth Project participants who were sexually abused in custodial institutions in the UK between the 1950s and 2010s.

Mapping U.S. Support for Orphanages Abroad: Key Findings & Strategic Recommendations

Better Care Network and ReThink Orphanages, 01 Apr 2020

This report lays out the results of a preliminary mapping exercise to document the ways in which the United States supports and perpetuates overseas orphanages. It is based on: an analysis of existing data; a literature review of U.S government publications and investments; a review of non-profit organizations and foundation activities; an analysis of key supply chains and stakeholders; and the identification of existing data gaps.