The Global Campaign on Children’s Care Reform: Strengthening Families and Family-Based Care

Across Asia and the Pacific, many children without parental care continue to be placed in institutional settings rather than family- or community-based alternatives. This session introduces the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform and examines national and regional approaches to strengthening family-based care for children without parental care. This session is co-hosted by the National Authority of Child Care in the Philippines, which will share the country’s experience and approaches to strengthening family-based care and advancing alternative care reform. Rationale for Session: Reliance on institutional care for children remains a child protection challenge. Across Asia and the Pacific, as child rights issues continue to evolve, in the absence of safe, stable, and nurturing family environments, children face increased risks of neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking, and poorer developmental outcomes. Concerns have also been raised about orphanage tourism and short-term volunteer placements, which can disrupt children’s emotional development, hinder the development of strong and consistent relationships with caregivers, and inadvertently reinforce reliance on institutional care. The Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform responds to these challenges. Launched by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in January 2025, the Charter calls for greater investment in families, children, and care leavers, strengthened family- and community-based care systems, and the elimination of violence against children, including harmful practices such as orphanage tourism (UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, 2025). The Charter is open for signature by all national governments. While only governments may formally sign the Charter, civil society organizations at the regional and national levels are encouraged to publicly endorse it and demonstrate their commitment to advancing child care reform. Grounded in the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Charter calls on governments to fulfil their commitments to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable, and nurturing family environment (Better Care Network, 2025). This session introduces the Global Charter and explores advocacy opportunities for civil society. Participants will also learn from evidence and innovative approaches to supporting children and caregivers, including the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) of the Philippines’ initiatives to strengthen family-based care and advance alternative care reforms for children without parental care; UNICEF Thailand’s Investment Case Analysis of Child Protection Funding in Thailand, which shows how strategic and sustained financing can strengthen child protection systems and improve outcomes for children and families; and the parenting support initiatives of the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) Taiwan, which strengthen parents’ caregiving knowledge and skills to foster nurturing family environments. This session will foster regional dialogue and collaboration on family-based care. As families and communities across Asia and the Pacific navigate evolving social, economic, and technological realities, it will reinforce the importance of investing in child-centred, family-based care systems that enable every child to grow up in a safe, stable, and nurturing family environment.