Cuidado alternativo

Promoting family life for all children out of parental care including children with disabilities

2 key issues observed

ISS has a long-standing experience visiting Residential Care Institutions and orphanages in over 20 countries, and two key issues were regularly observed:


  1. There are very few actual «orphans» residing in orphanages. Most children in residential care still have at least one living parent. For example, in Haiti, 80% of children still have a family, and in Vietnam, 60% of children with disabilities still have family links.

  2. Children with disabilities are among the last to benefit from programs enabling them to leave institutions and are more likely to be left behind in orphanages. UNICEF also agrees with this observation in ‘The State of the World’s Children 2013’ report.
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Devastating impact

All children have the right to grow up in a family setting



What is the solution?

Support care reform & disability-inclusive deinstitutionalisation

Improve case management

Improve social work for children placed in institutions

Technical guidance

Provide technical guidance on family care procedures

Build capacity

Build capacity of social workforce on intervention tools

Offer support

Support children and families in their community

Program summary

A better future is possible

Multilevel action

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Strengthen Caregivers

The program strengthens the staff’s capacity to learn and implement social work activities as well as to improve daily care, nutrition, and feeding practices through our partnership with SPOON to meet children’s immediate needs.

Support families & Communities

Families and communities need to be supported and empowered so that they can provide the optimal level of care for their children.

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Once you have built a care system for children with disabilities, you have built a system for all children.

Current implementation

A better future is possible is currently being implemented in the following countries

Click on a country to learn more



Achievements

Since 2014, we are piloting ground-breaking projects that are designed to be sustainable and standardised by national decisions makers and practitioners

Partnerships

We partner with child welfare authorities and civil society organisations to ensure the continuity of the project and with international partners to share their expertise.

Tools

We ideate and promote tools to help local professionals and governments to better identify and take into account the needs of all the children without parental care, and especially the needs of children with disabilities.

Incidencia

We encourage the governments to develop inclusive family care options to include children with disabilities in care reform.

Family

We promote the return of children growing up in residential care back to their family whenever possible and if in the best interest of the child.

Foster care

We develop foster care programs adapted for children with disabilities and helpful for all children.

Support services

We reflect on how to strengthen family support services (essential and specialised) in their communities and improve collaboration between main stakeholders.

Partnerships

We partnered with child welfare authorities and civil society organisations to ensure the continuity of the project and with international partners to share their expertise.

Tools

We ideated and promoted tools to help local professionals and governments to better identify and take into account the needs of all the children without parental care and especially the needs of children with disabilities.

Gov. advocacy

We encouraged the governments to develop inclusive family care options to include children with disabilities in care reform.

Family

We promoted the return of children growing up in residential care back to their family whenever possible and if in the best interest of the child.

Foster care

We developed foster care programs adapted for children with disabilities and helpful for all children.

Support services

We reflect on how to strengthen family support services (essential and specialised) in their communities and improve collaboration between main stakeholders.

Resulted in

550

professionals
Trained

30

Orphanages
supported

1800

Children
have full record

20

Children returned
to their families
(during pilot phase)



Sustainable development goals

Zero hunger

Reduced inequalities

Good health & well-being

Peace, justice & strong institutions

Quality education

Partnerships for the goals

Zero hunger

Reduced inequalities

Good health & well-being

Peace, justice & strong institutions

Quality education

Partnerships for the goals

If you want to know more about UN’s development goals you can consult the link below on UN.ORG

Donors & Partners

This has been possible thanks to our donors and partners

Statement

Statement to the day of general discussion on children's rights and alternative care: building an acosystem that serves all children

written by ISS and partner NGOs, 2021

Burkina Faso

Project implemented since 2014 thanks to the collaboration with Child protection authorities and ISS West Africa.

In November 2021 our flagship foster care program for children with disabilities came to its ends with positive outcomes and lessons learned. A comprehensive procedure has been developed with adapted tools for each step. A small pilot group of children has successfully transited from residential care to family care (family of origin, kinship and foster care). We have proven that family care and a better future is possible for children with disabilities even in low-income country such as Burkina Faso! In 2023 we are still providing follow-up and support services to our pilot group of children and their families. We have also conceived our strategic plan and modus operandi to scale up the pilot phase, standardize the procedure and strengthen community support for children with disabilities and their families.

Ivory Coast

Cambodia

Our work continues there since 2016 thanks to the coordination of ISS Australia and UNICEF Cambodia support. In 2022, ISS Australia took part in the national training effort of the Cambodian social workforce led by NISA (National Institute of Social Affairs) and MoSVY, with the drafting and training of specific modules on Disability included in the national training curriculum.

Vietnam

Collaboration since 2014 with national child protection authorities (MOLISA) and the US-based non-profit SPOON.

ISS is running a pilot program on Family Reintegration for children with disabilities (2022-2024). Reintegration plans will include family empowerment to strengthen their parenting skills and make sure family reintegration is safe, successful, and sustainable. Three pilot provinces have been selected by MOLISA ( Hà Nội, Kontum, Bình Dương) to conduct our activities with the socialwork force. A study on the Root Causes of placement of children with disabilities and opportunities for family reintegration is underway (includes consultation with families, Orphanages, Pagodas, and Civil society organizations).

Haiti

Our project there address the needs of all children in residential care in collaboration with IBESR, Rapha International (which became ISS member AI in 2022!), and the US-based non-profit SPOON, with the generous support of the Embassy of France in Haiti.

We focus our activities on the public Transit Center based in Port au Prince as a crucial and good starting point for this project. The complex context faced by the Haitian population with increased insecurity and political crisis impacts the project activities , we manage though to working on reintegration plans for 10 pilot children with our partner Rapha and are drafting a standardized operating procedure for family reintegration.

Chile

In collaboration with Fundación Colunga, Fundación San Carlos de Maipo, Fundación Ilumina and Fundación Huella (Alianza de Fundaciones para el fortalecimiento del acogimiento familiar – Alianza FAE).

Our aim is to strengthening the foster care system in Chile. This project, in close collaboration with Chilean child welfare authorities, Servicio Nacional de Protección Especializada a la Niñez y Adolescencia, will support residential facilities seeking to transition to foster care support and community-based care in different regions of the country.