Transforming The Alternative Child Care and Protection System through Innovation in Alternative Family-like Care: Evidence, Experiences and Promising Practices from The Continent Africa and beyond

“Every child and young person should live in a supportive, protective and caring environment that promotes his/her full potential. Children with inadequate or no parental care are at special risk of being denied such a nurturing environment.”1
There are many conditions under which parents might find themselves unable or unwilling to fulfil these obligations, leaving their children without proper parental care and protection. While there is no global number available, worldwide it is estimated that millions of children are deprived of parental care or are at risk of losing it. These children can find themselves in very different living and care arrangements. From being e.g. in the care of their parents, older siblings, extended family , to being in a wide range of formal alternative care settings, or living on the streets. The quality of care children receive in these diverse care settinmgs is different.
All countries have an obligation to ensure thatevery child is able to enjoy life. When parents are unable or unwilling to fulfil their obligations, as stated above, the UNCRC stipulates that state parties are responsible for ensuring the protection and care of the child.

This paper intends to contribute to this debate by describing the added value of one such alternative care option: family-like care. It presents family-like care as an alternative care setting, that has a particular niche within the continuum of care. It offers care that is both professional and nurturing, in an environment which resembles that of a family, whilst being embedded in a supportive structure. It proposes that by providing care in this way, it is able to address care needs that other settings may be less equipped to respond to, and as such, is a valuable option to include within the range of alternative care options of a child protection system.