Resources Database

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some governments have mandated that residential care providers rapidly return children and youth to family. Survey data from 67 organizations revealed that rapid return was characterized by compressed timelines that did not allow for adequate child and family assessment and preparation. However, all respondents indicated they believed at least some families would be able to remain intact safely with appropriate support.

This briefing explores the importance of self-care for parents and carers, while outlining some ‘top-tips’ and helpful resources that can be accessed online. it is important to remember that self-care practices in their varying forms can offer people an important space to focus, process emotions and better cope with the stress of these uncertain times.

COVID-19 has highlighted and amplified structural inequalities; drawing attention to issues of racism, poverty, xenophobia as well as arguably ineffective government policies and procedures. In South Africa, the pandemic and the resultant national lockdown has highlighted the shortcomings in the protection and care of children. Children in alternative care are particularly at risk as a result of disrupted and uncoordinated service delivery.

As part of the process to strengthen the Ghanaian social welfare workforce, a ‘social welfare workforce capacity assessment was conducted to develop a long-term capacity building strategy for the social welfare service sector in Ghana’ in 2019. The report notes existing gaps and needs and provides recommendations for specific actions to strengthen the workforce.

This evidence synthesis analyses emerging practices and preliminary guidance for engaging children in the response to CP challenges during the various stages of COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks (e.g. Ebola). It explores both barriers and opportunities to the meaningful and authentic participation of children during COVID-19. It includes case studies and recommendations, including how the social service workforce can lead in child participation.

Practical guidance on the adaptations and considerations needed to support children in alternative care or entering alternative care during COVID-19.

A new child protection thematic report shows the impact of COVID-19 on child protection, including increased incidences of GBV and increased stressors. The report calls for government leaders and decision-makers to increase efforts to protect children from the impacts of COVID-19 by designating the social service workforce as essenital workers and providing funding for child protection programming, including for caregiver's mental health and psychosocial support, among other measures.

Assessing the adequacy of the financial resources available for child protection systems, and the cost of reform of these systems, is a necessary first step to make a sustainable difference to the degree to which this right is realised for children. The purpose of this benchmark is to obtain a comparable measurement of actual expenditure by the state on child protection (CP) across countries, and within countries over time. Benchmarking expenditure across countries in similar circumstances will provide child protection advocates with robust information to analyse the adequacy of expenditure

This child protection brief details the growing magnitude of child protection and gender-based violence issues resulting from COVID-19. It highlights the essential role of the social service workforce in promotive, preventative and responsive services, and calls on governments to ensure their protection, ability to continue services and recognize their key role.

The White Paper summarizes evidence on the current use and impact of small-scale residential care (also: ‘SSRC’) and offers guidance on how to enable all children to grow up in a loving and table family environment. It aims to promote better decision-making among policy-makers, local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as child welfare and other, allied practitioners of the establishment.

Social service professionals must also be acknowledged as a critical part of the COVID-19 response for children.

This policy brief is targeted at policymakers and practitioners working in gender, education and child protection fields. It draws from emerging evidence on the gendered implications of COVID-19 on violence as well as research from previous health emergencies regarding the impacts of school closures on gender-based violence. Working on the principle of ‘Build Back Better’, this brief may be used to advocate for improved attention to schoolrelated gender-based violence (SRGBV).

In many countries around the world, systems of protection and care for children are in reform as a commitment to family care increases among governments, nongovernmental organizations, donors, advocates, communities, and families. However, there is limited understanding of the support available for the important work of transitioning residential care centers to family care and community services.

The purpose of this research project is to learn the current landscape of supervision practices within the FCF | REACT network organizations in context of their capacity, supervisory needs, achievements and challenges. In addition, consistent with the aim of mainstreaming supervision throughout the network and further in the social service sector in Cambodia, the research explores practitioners and key informants’ views on the recommended steps toward national standards for supervision and how they may be enforced.

Research findings highlight strong commonalities on the challenges that social workers are facing as essential workers in the fight against COVID-19.

This document aims to ensure many more EU citizens benefit from EU funding for inclusion; and to prevent the misuse of EU funds. The purpose of this checklist is to ensure EU funds in the 2021-2027 programming period contribute to independent living and inclusion in the community. More specifically, the checklist supports desk officers to check the consistency of the measures with the legal and policy frameworks. It includes questions on availability and use of social services and interactions with social service workers.

This paper is based on field work experience, review of relevant literature and studies on alternative child care system. The reviewers seek to rekindle not just an academic discourse in the field of social work but also a programme development innovation for social workers in the field of child welfare. Findings from the review suggest a range of family-based alternative child care that social workers in Nigeria and other developing societies may well consider in practice and programme intervention.

To maximise the potential of the European Union and realise the vision where no child grows up in institutional care, civil society organisations across EU Member States, pre-accession countries and neighbourhood countries came together under a pan-European campaign: Opening Doors for Europe’s Children. The campaign aimed to support national efforts to develop comprehensive, integrated child protection systems that strengthen families and ensure quality family- and community-based care for children, by leveraging EU funding and policy, and building capacity in civil society.

There is a large and growing body of research that demonstrates that early experiences of adversity can have harmful impacts on children’s physical, neurological, and psychological development, with effects that can persist into adulthood. This report will present an overview of the current social science literature related to the impact of out-of-home placement and family separation on the wellbeing of children who have experienced maltreatment.

The Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020 charts countries’ progress towards the SDGs aimed at ending violence against children.