All Children have the right to grow up in a supportive and caring family environment.
Whenever possible, children should be cared for by their parents and families. Sometimes
children may face a risk of separation from their families due to several factors. This does not mean parents do not or cannot care for their children in the short-term or long-term. Some parents need additional support to care of their children.
Strengthening at-risk or vulnerable families is the first line of defence against their
breakdown. Its primary purpose is to prevent the separation of children from their biological parents. This is a pivotal intervention as many children in difficult circumstances and institutional care belong to families with poor access to social security measures. Furthermore, family strengthening plays an equally important role for children in family-based alternative care, such as kinship care, foster care, or other customary practices across cultures. Family strengthening is also a sustainable and long-term measure that allows for deinstitutionalisation. Family strengthening and its allied support interventions
must consist of comprehensive legislation, policies and programmes to empower the family
to provide quality care to children within the community. When implemented effectively,
family strengthening forms a complete safety net around children and caregivers to avoid
their neglect, abuse, separation or institutionalisation.
RESOURCES
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FAQs Document - Every Child’s Right to Family Life: An Introduction to Family Strengthening and Alternative Care in India
IACN, Hope and Homes, UNICEF, India, 2022This document, titled ‘Every Child’s Right to Family Life: An Introduction to Family Strengthening and Alternative Care in India’ is compiled by the India Alternative Care Network (IACN) in collaboration with Hope and Homes for Children and UNICEF, India. It answers the most frequently asked questions surrounding family strengthening and alternative care while also addressing the misconceptions around it.
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The Families Matter Program (FMP)
ChildFund India, 2022ChildFund’s Families Matter Program (FMP) aims at promoting positive parenting and effective child-parent communication. It is primarily focused on parents or caregivers of adolescents aged between 10-19 years old. It includes topics like sexuality, and sexual risk reduction, including risk for child sexual abuse and gender-based violence. FMP recognizes that many parents and guardians may need support to effectively convey values and expectations about sexual behaviour. It supports them to communicate important issues like HIV, STD, pregnancy prevention etc. to their children, thereby preventing adolescents from falling into risk situations and unnecessary separation from their families.
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Compendium on Family Strengthening and Alternative Care in India
IACN , 2022Commissioned by Changing the Way We Care, through IACN, the Compendium, is a collection of existing practices on family strengthening and alternative care, that offers us a glimpse into the approaches adopted by various agencies across the country. It serves as a good resource to both practitioners as well as policymakers, as it offers us insights into what works well and aspects that are currently posing a challenge requiring a solution.