Without Dreams: Children in Alternative Care in Japan
Human Rights Watch | 08 May 2014
This report by Human Rights Watch examines Japan’s alternative care system for children. It describes its organization and processes, presents current data on the use of different forms of alternative care and highlights the problems found in the institutionalization of most children (including infants), as well as abuses that take place in the system. View document

Contextual Adaptation of Family Group Conferencing Model: Early Evidence from Guatemala
Jini L. Roby, Joan Pennell, Karen Rotabi, Kelley McCreery Bunkers, and Sully de Ucles | 18 June 2014
This article discusses the challenges in protecting Guatemalan children and their families from involuntary separation and presents the process, results and implications of a pilot training in which Guatemalan participants from government and civil society explored the efficacy and feasibility of the FGC model in their country. View document

Adoption Policy and Evidence-Based Domestic Adoption Practice: A Comparison of Romania, Ukraine, India, Guatemala, and Ethiopia
Victor Groza and Kelley M. Bunkers | 12 March 2014
This article uses data collected from adoptive parents’ postadoption and governmental data in Romania, Ukraine, India, Guatemala, and Ethiopia to focus on domestic adoption in each of these countries. The article highlights both promising practices in domestic adoption as well as policies and practices that require additional research. View document

Global Research, Practice, and Policy Issues on the Care of Infants and Young Children at Risk: The Articles in Context
Robert B. McCall, Christina J. Groark and Niels P. Rygaard | 12 March 2014
This introductory article of a Special Issue of Infant Mental Health Journal on Global Research, Practice, and Policy Issues in the Care of Infants and Young Children at Risk provides a useful overview, placing the articles in the broader contexts of research on institutionalized children and different initiatives to prevent inappropriate care, either through addressing the quality of the care provided or ensuring the appropriateness of the type of care environment provided. View document

Does Family Matter? The Well-Being of Children Growing Up in Institutions, Foster Care and Adoption
Christie Schoenmaker, Femmie Juffer, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, and Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg | 04 July 2014
In this chapter of the Handbook of Child Well-Being, the authors review the findings from research on the cognitive and social-emotional development of children growing up in institutions, foster care and adoption. View document

Better Care Network Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017
Better Care Network | 28 February 2014
In 2013, Better Care Network (BCN) initiated an important process of developing a new Strategic Plan identifying the main strategic focus for its work over the next four years (2014-2017). The plan is based on an analysis of BCN’s achievements to date, the strategic areas in which BCN can have most impact in the future by working with key actors to strengthen the response to children without adequate family care. View document

Country Care Review: Congo
Better Care Network | 31 January 2014
This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of its examination of the combined second to fourth periodic report of the Congo under Convention on the Rights of the Child at its sixty-fifth Session (13 Jan 2014 - 31 Jan 2014). View document

Country Care Review: Russian Federation
Better Care Network | 31 January 2014
This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of its examination of the combined fourth and fifth periodic report of the Russian Federation under Convention on the Rights of the Child at its sixty-fifth Session (13 Jan 2014 - 31 Jan 2014). View document

Country Care Review: Portugal
Better Care Network | 31 January 2014
This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of its examination of the third and fourth combined periodic report of Portugal under the Convention on the Rights of the Child at its sixty-fifth Session (13 Jan 2014 - 31 Jan 2014). View document

Current trends, figures and challenges in out of home child care: An international comparative analysis
Jorge F. del Valle and Amaia Bravo | 31 December 2013
This article closes a special edition focused on the state of child protection in 16 countries chosen to represent very different cultural contexts, historical backgrounds, and social welfare systems with special attention to out-of-home care placements, principally family foster care and residential care, though several aspects related to adoption were included as well. View document