Reference: Better Care Network, Catholic Relief Services, Changing the Way We Care, Eurochild, Family for Every Child, HDPI (Humanitarian Development Partnerships), Hope and Homes for Children, International Social Service (ISS), Lumos, Maestral, Missing Children Europe, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages, SPOON, Child Protection Sub-Cluster in Ukraine, 2022.
Humanitarian crises such as conflict can threaten the safety and wellbeing of entire communities. They disrupt children’s contextual, cultural and social fabric, including the day-to-day activities that fill their lives.
The current situation in Ukraine raises specific considerations for children both at the policy or system level and the individual level. These include the potential temporary need for alternative care and the availability of placements to receive children in transit or who arrive in host countries. There are increased risks in residential care settings, especially those in locations where there is active conflict, while the existing child care system in Ukraine and host countries face increased pressure.
This guidance document provides a framework to support practitioners and policymakers working inside Ukraine or in host countries to implement responses related to children’s care in the context of Ukraine. Those recommendations align with internationally recognised standards and good practices in children’s care and alternative care.
This Guide is divided into eight sections:
- Prevention of child-family separation and protection of children in family care
- Addressing Care Issues in the Context of Movement and Relocation
- Care and Protection in Residential Care in Ukraine and host countries
- Care and Protection of Children in Foster Care in Ukraine and host countries
- Strengthening Care and Protection Systems in Host Countries
- Enabling family reunification and reintegration from alternative care
- Intercountry adoption and surrogacy
- International support to avoid separation and strengthen child protection systems
Each section provides key considerations and recommendations per a specific area of children’s care and includes hyperlinks to additional resources, including those developed since the onset of the conflict.
The guidance document is available in English. It is currently being translated into Ukrainian, and we will share that version as soon as it is available. Download the PDF to access the entire document.
