New report calls for concerted action to improve care standards for children in Africa
A newly published research report highlights how eight African countries have failed to implement UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children; lack of leadership, resources and information cited.
18 June 2014 - LILONGWE, MALAWI – Five years after the UN adopted the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, key aspects of the global standards have yet to be implemented, according to a report authored by policy experts and released today.
The report, Drumming Together For Change, was produced through a partnership between the University of Malawi and the University of Strathclyde (UK), with the assistance of SOS Children´s Villages and its global Care for ME! campaign. The report's conclusions are based on evidence gathered through national assessments of eight Sub-Saharan Africa countries. It highlights “serious inadequacies in the services aimed at preventing the separation of children from their families, providing appropriate alternative care, and protecting children from harm.”
According to the report’s analysis, at the root of the problems lie a lack of leadership, resources, and information required to tackle the problems.
“These children are some of the most vulnerable in society and are made more vulnerable when the systems designed to care for them fail to work in their interests,” the report said. “This is the fifth anniversary of the Guidelines and it is important that we begin examining the ways in which they are successfully implemented and understanding the reasons why they are not…. This report is clear: change will demand action from us all.”
The report sounds a call for change: “We will be drumming with different rhythms but together these rhythms, in all their syncopation, must be heard and felt as a collective call for positive, real change in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our societies.”
Key findings:
There is a lack of formal child care provision and an increasing burden placed on informal care arrangements.
Of the formal care provided, most was in residential care – often by unlicensed providers – that fails to meet individual child needs.
The inconsistent quality and lack of government monitoring reveal high levels of risk around child protection.
There is a lack of support to help families care for children, before any need for alternative care may arise. Many children currently in alternative care could be living with their parents, but prevention services are not supported by governments, are poorly coordinated, and reach only a small proportion of the population in need.
Despite the findings, the report's authors see significant opportunities for change and provide detailed roadmaps of the first steps governments need to take.
The policy framework proposed in the report calls for:
Active engagement with local communities, families and children. As the beneficiaries of alternative care, they should be given both a voice and a stake in the services that are designed for them and the decisions that are made in their interests.
Governments to take a more active leadership role. This means coordinating alternative care provision and developing partnerships with other stakeholders.
Involvement of cooperative, accountable non-state organisations. This includes international donors, private sector, and NGOs, which can cooperate with and empower governments with resources and knowledge.
The eight countries covered by this report are: Benin, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The individual country assessments are available at: www.care-for-me.org
