Prevention of family separation and childcare reform
More comprehensive child protection system working as one
Challenges
In Uzbekistan, despite progress made in advancing the deinstitutionalization of the child care system, the rate of children in residential care per 100,000 child population remains with 241 double than the global average. Children are placed into residential care for various reasons, including poverty, disability and family dysfunctionality, combined with inadequate access to community-based access to care and support services, inclusive education and social benefits.
Achievements
- A key milestone in childcare reform has been the adoption of Presidential Decree No. 6275 and related roadmap from 9 August 2021. These documents put in place a moratorium for the establishment of new large-scale residential care facilities for children and calls for the development of a national deinstitutionalization strategy and family-based alternative care options.
- Another important step forward in advancing the childcare reform has been the establishment of the National Agency for Social Protection in June 2023, with a mandate to coordinate child protection and care. UNICEF has been providing support and guidance to the Agency in enhancing the availability of data on children in different forms of alternative care, and in enhancing the regulatory framework for the alternative care of children.
The way forward
We work to support the deinstitutionalization of the child care system, aiming at the closure of large-scale residential facilities and simultaneous development of community-based services. In particular, we focus on children with disabilities who make up 85% of children in residential care, children under three years of age, and children with complex emotional needs and behavioral difficulties.