Explore the Continuum of Care: Family Strengthening

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Strengthening the capacity of families to provide and care for children is one of the best ways to prevent separation from parental care, reduce placement in orphanages, and ensure successful reunification or transition to alternative family care.

Faith-based and community organizations can play an important role in helping families access needed government services and often also provide households with support to meet the material, educational, and emotional needs of children. These family-strengthening strategies—such as livelihood and material support, medical care, and mental health support— can address the issues that put children at risk of falling out of parental or alternative family care. Other services that help families include cash transfers, microloans and savings programs, food and agricultural support, access to education and daycare, home-based care, parent education and support groups, and spiritual support.

These local solutions help ensure that every child has a family, while also protecting children from mistreatment or abuse. When the safety net of care is strengthened, fewer children are neglected, abandoned, or placed within institutional care.