ALTERNATIVE CARE IN
UGANDA
Implementing Family Based
Care Workshop
Utrecht, Netherlands
28th September 2015
Tracy Kyagulanyi
Consultant
Content
• Alternative Care – the state of affairs
– Facts and Figures
– Situational Analysis
– Legalities
– Government Commitment to implementing ACF
• Projects and pilots
– Child’s i Foundation (CiF) programs
– Strong Beginnings a Family for all Children Project
• Wayforward
– Development of a skilled and professional Social work
force
– Development of Preventive Programs
– Government- led Programs
2
Facts and Figures
Uganda’s
Children’s
Act states
institutionalis
ation as a
last resort
Biggest Orphanage
Funding comes from the
West
In 35
1996
Uganda In
orphanages
had 35
1996
in
orphanges
Uganda
80% of
children in
orphanages
have families
Today,
Uganda has
more than
800
orphanages
3
50,000 in
Orphanages
in Uganda
52% Social
work
practitioners
are trained
Situation Analysis
2010
212 babies homes
Findings :
•
Approx
800 orphanages 35 are
licensed
•
Over
50%
had ‘completely
unacceptable’ care standards
•
“The institution is the worst
possible option for an orphaned
or abandoned child”
85% had no proactive
resettlement programmes.
•
80%
do not have a child
protection policy
•
Severe lack of records/ social
history
•
95% of funding comes from the
West.
4
Situation Analysis 2014
29 babies homes (1282
children)
Findings :
•
majority of children aged
•
•
•
•
•
•
under 9 yrs
28% under 3 yrs
nearly 7% aged 18- 28 yrs
More than 64% had one
living parent
More than 51% admitted
without care orders
Less than 10% had care
plans
Minimal resettlement
“The institution is the worst possible
option for an orphaned or abandoned
child”
5
Situation
Analysis 2015
Social workforce
Findings:
•52% social work
practitioners are
qualified
•29% without relevant
training
•28% of CDOs had an
adequate level of
training
• 16% had any
training in child care
and protection
Social Work equated to
charitable work…….
Anybody can do………
‘Social worker’ trained
in hairdressing
6
LEGALITIES
 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
 The African Unity Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child

Uganda’s Children Act Cap 59
 The National Alternative Care Framework
 The Children’s Approved Homes Rules 2013
7
Alternative Care Framework
8
Uganda Government Commitment to
Alternative Care
 Care practice reform
 Ministerial interest in alternative care issues
 Establishment of an Alternative Care
implementation Unit
 National Deinstitutionalisation Strategic
Framework
9
Projects and Pilots
10
CiF Objectives
• Reducing number of children in and
entering institutional care
• Promoting national fostering and adoption
• Developing sustainable and replicable
best practice models
• Social work technical support provision
• Government support
11
CiF Programmes
• Emergency Transitional Care
• Tracing and Resettlement
• Domestic Adoption
• Long Term Foster Care
• Training and Development
• Advocacy – Ugandans Adopt Campaign
12
CiF Malaika Babies Home
• Transitional no longer than 6 months
• Attachment formation 1:4 carer to children ratio
• Qualified staff continuous professional
development
• Family contact promoted
• Children experience community living
• Government approved Model transitional care
centre
13
Emergency Foster Care
14
CiF Emergency Foster Care
 Anita Video
 Replaces Babies Home
 Care in the community, in a family home
 Carers assessed and approved by Fostering panel
 Foster parents care for two children
 Children moved onto permanent family care
• Foster carers receive training pre and post application
• Foster carers given basic financial support
15
Julius with Emergency Foster Carer
16
CiF Tracing and Resettlement
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
• Pre-reunification
• *Admission *Tracing *Vetting
• Reunification
• *Family assessment *child/Family preparation *Child
placement
• Post reunification
• *Monitoring *Review of FGC
17
CiF Domestic Adoptions
•
Government- led multimedia campaign
promoting domestic fostering/adoption
•
Multiple Platform used
• 52 children adopted
• Resulted to bank of approved adoptive
•
Organises coffee mornings/ support groups for
prospective and adoptive parents.
18
Domestic Adoptions Process
•
•
•
•
•
Ugandans Adopt Campaign recruits families
Social Workers assess Families
Families are trained
Families approved by Alternative Care panel
Families matched with children approved for
adoption
• Children for adoption have no known family
• Families foster for 3 years before legally
adopting
19
CiF Long Term Foster Care
• Fostered child has known family
• Placed with approved family in community
• Biological family can claim child back
• Family contact if safe is provided
• Foster Carer is trained and supported
• Monitoring by PSWO till child is independent
• Education and Health care provision main limitation to
fostering
20
CiF Training & Development
• Workshops on alternative care practice
• Mentorship programmes for CCIs and
partners
• Practice placement for national/international
Social Work students
21
Social work
• Underpins all CiF programmes
• Qualified Social Work team
• Supervised managed case load
• Individual case management
• Documentation
• Robust Risk assessment and
management
22
Team Around the Child -TAC
Professionals
Family
CHILD
Alternative
family
23
Duty
Bearers
Strong Beginnings
• Funded by Terre des Hommes Netherlands
• Overall objective: To promote family based care for
children
• In 3 of 112 districts over 21 months
• Consortium consisting of CiF, ANPPCAN, Alternative
Care Initiatives, and Makerere University
• Supported by Line Ministry
24
Objectives
Reduce unnecessary separation of children from families
Improve care practices in 20 care institutions
Strengthen national Alternative Care Systems capacity
Demonstrate cost effective/ replicable best practice
Build evidence base/knowledge/skills/learning for policy
and programming around Alternative Care
25
Project Progress
 CCI Transformation
 Alternative Care Implementation Unit
established
 National Alternative Care Panel
 Alternative Care Curriculum
 Better awareness about Alternative Care
 Improved Government assessments of CCIs
26
WAY FORWARD
 Invest in Children and Families not Institutions
 Develop community fostering programmes
 Child sensitive programming
 Support and empower Government
 Professionalise Social Work in Uganda
27
THANK YOU
28
CONTACT
Tracy Kyagulanyi
Independent Consultant
Children First Consultancy (cfc)
P.O.Box 33505 Kampala
Tel: +256 (0) 752588867 / 775 249319
Email:
[email protected]
29