In Focus: Ending the institutionalization of children and keeping families together

When children are separated from their parents it is often under tragic circumstances, ending in deeply distressing and traumatic events. Family separation can leave children feeling unwanted and worthless and imprint lasting scars on their mental health and psychological well-being.

As well as being separated from their families and lacking parental care, children who are placed in large-scale institutions – particularly from a young age or for a long time – face emotional neglect, abuse and exploitation. This compounds their distress and trauma and exacerbates the long-term impact on their lives. Children who grow up in institutions often experience cognitive, linguistic and other development delays and are more likely to come into contact with the law.

Child institutionalization has devastating consequences not only for these children and their families, but also for society as a whole, by exacerbating stigma and social isolation, and by fuelling an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage.

The damage caused by child institutionalization is well-known, yet children across the Europe and Central Asia region are still institutionalized at twice the global average rate, and 456,000 children remain in residential care facilities. Children with disabilities and other marginalized groups are vastly over-represented among those living in these institutions.

UNICEF’s position is clear. No child should be placed in a large-scale institution or in any form of alternative care because their family lacks access to health, education, social protection services or the other basic services that they need to care for their child at home. We work to end the institutionalization of children and support the development of effective child protection, family support and child care systems that help to keep families together wherever possible, and that focus on the best interests of each child.

When institutional care is replaced by such systems it opens a gateway to a transformation of government social services that benefits all children and families.

Read more HERE.