Understanding Kinship Care of Children in Africa: A Family Environment or an Alternative Care Option? (original) (raw)
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Child & Family Social Work, 2020
Traditionally, the involvement of the extended family in nurturing children is seen as an essential cultural practice in most communities in Ghana. Though not formally regulated, often in the absence of birth parents, kin and kith continue to be involved in the care of children to promote family relations and culture. Yet there is little empirical evidence on how to improve the well-being and safety of children in informal kinship care in Ghana. Thus, this study reports findings from in-depth interviews with 15 young people, 18 to 23 years, from Banda-an ethnic group where informal kinship care is an accepted cultural practice. Data from the interviews were subjected to the constructivist grounded theory analysis. Adequate income for provision of basic needs, education and training, and supervision emerged as useful measures to promote the safety and well-being of children in kinship care. It was recommended that informal kinship caregivers must be registered with the Department of Social Welfare to enable them access support and training. Further, social workers should create awareness among kinship caregivers in Ghana about their availability to provide counselling services for caregivers facing challenges. K E Y W O R D S child safety, child well-being, Ghana, informal kinship care, kinship care 1 | INTRODUCTION Research suggests that one of the better places to keep children, when their biological parents are unable to provide them with adequate care, is within their family environment (Esposito et al., 2014; Montserrat, 2014). Article 20 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that vulnerable children in need of care and protection are entitled to adequate substitute care such as care provided by family members and close friends (kinship or family-based care), residential or institutional care and foster care (Ansah-Koi,-2006). Kinship and institutional care are the most commonly used out-of-home care options in Ghana for children in need of alternative care (Abdullah, Cudjoe & Manful, 2018; Bettmann, Mortensen, & Akuoko, 2015). Kinship care within the context of this study refers to care support provided by external family members and close friends. In the Ghanaian context, institutional care normally refers to Orphanages and Children's Homes. Institutional care is usually used as a last resort when members from the extended family are unable to provide the required care for the child (Frimpong-Manso & Bugyei, 2018). However, evidence suggests that these institutions lack the needed human and material resources to meet the emotional and physical needs of children in care (Bettmann et al., 2015; Castillo, Sarver, Bettmann, Mortensen, & Akuoko, 2012). Research has also revealed that the environment in care institutions does not represent that of a family. As a result of this, children do not receive sufficient care from their caregivers, and caregivers are often unable to meet the diverse needs of children due to unfavourable caregiver-child ratio (Castillo et al., 2012). Moreover, a 2009 report from UN regarding Alternative Care for Children recommended the phasing out of institutions as a care option (Newton, 2017). Yet in Ghana, alternative care
Children and Youth Services Review, 2019
Evidence from international literature suggests that children in kinship care have more positive experiences than those receiving care in institutions. Kinship care for children is highly used in Ghana as an alternative care option mostly because of the belief that it is important to keep children within their families to continue family relationships, culture and to cement family bonds. However, research in Ghana shows that kinship caregivers may not be prepared to provide care and protection for children in need of parental care. As a result of this, the safety and wellbeing of these children could be at risk. This study reports on a qualitative investigation involving 15 young kinship care alumni in Ghana to explore what kinship caregivers' unpreparedness means and what causes them to be unprepared. Data from the in-depth interviews were analysed following the constructivist grounded theory approach. The study revealed that kinship caregivers' unpreparedness makes it difficult for children's needs to be met. Poverty, unemployment and cultural and religious beliefs emerged as causing caregivers' unpreparedness. Implications of the findings for improving the safety and wellbeing of children in kinship care are discussed.
Participatory research on kinship care in East Africa
2017
This regional research report has been produced as a result of the extraordinary contributions of children, caregivers and other adults supporters, too many to name individually especially from the country teams and communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Zanzibar. Each contribution, however large or small, has been immensely valued. We hope it has been an enrichening and empowering process for everyone and that all involved will continue to be part of the way forward to improve the care and protection of children in families and communities. Our appreciation and special thanks go to: Ethiopia: Child and adult researchers in the Local Research Teams in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR. Thank you for the considerable support from the NGO partners: Mary Joy Development Association, Ratson Women Children and Youth Development, Love for Children Organisation, and members of the OVC project in North Gondar. Thanks to the national consultants-Elias Endale and team for supporting the research and for preparing the country report; and thanks to Save the Children Ethiopia staff members who coordinated and supported the entire research process-Tsion Tsefera, Kidest Mirtneh, and Kinfe Wubetu. Kenya: Child and adult researchers in the Local Research Teams in Kamunoit and Maduwa in Busia County. Thank you for the considerable support from the Department for Children's Services in Busia and all members of the Child Protection Working Group who formed the local reference group and support the research process. Thanks to the Childline Kenya who guided and supported the research process; and thanks to Save the Children Kenya staff members who coordinated and supported the research process-Josephine Gitonga and Karen Poore. Zanzibar: Child and adult researchers in the Local Research Teams in Unguja, Pemba, and Makunduchi. Thank you for the considerable support from the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Women and Children, SOS Villages Tanzania, and ZAPHA+ in planning and implementing the participatory research. Thanks to Save the Children Zanzibar staff members-Mali Nilsson and Alice Mushi. Thanks to Maimuna Omar Ali for interpretation, translation and guidance, and very special thanks to the national consultant Aida Diop who provided mentoring and guidance throughout the research in Zanzibar and prepared the country report. Our thanks are also extended to: Save the Children's Child Protection Initiative and Save the Children Sweden for hosting and financing this work; Farida Bascha and Anthony Njoroge from Save the Children East Africa Regional Office for supporting this regional initiative, and special thanks to Rebecca Theuri for her continuous efforts to support coordination, capacity building, and implementation of the participatory region in the region, with additional in-country support to the Kenya research. Members of the global "Virtual Interest Group" for your practical and strategic inputs-Clare Feinstein, Silvia Onate, Rebecca Smith, Georgina Hewes, and Nkurikiyinka Valens; Florence Martin and Garazi Zulaika for supporting access to relevant DHS and MICS data analysis; Morten Skovdal for his focus on in-depth research and supporting capacity building on photovoice; Kelley Bunkers for her contributions to the literature review; And, the children, young people and caregivers whose direct experiences of kinship care are the narrative we need to understand and listen to so that we tailor our work to better support their realities.
Experiences of Children in Kinship Care (CKC) in Ghana
Journal of Family Issues, 2020
The provision of care by extended family members and close friends is a common cultural practice in Ghanaian traditional communities. With a recent interest by stakeholders in Ghana to consider kinship care as an alternative care option in child welfare policy, this study explores current kinship care challenges to help identify and address potential setbacks for policy and practice recommendations. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 young adults with experience as Children in Kinship Care (CKC). The participants with CKC experience reported inadequate basic needs,
Kinship Care and Child Protection in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2021
Kinship care is a global phenomenon with a long history, which in high-income countries (HICs) at least, is being increasingly formalized through legislation and policy. There are many benefits to kinship care, including improved child mental health and well-being when compared to other types of out-of-home care. Despite this, kinship care is not without its risks with a lack of support and training for kinship carers putting children at an increased risk of abuse and neglect. This scoping review was conducted across 11 databases to explore the breadth and depth of the literature about abuse and neglect within kinship care in HICs and to provide initial indications about the relationship between kinship care and abuse. Of the 2,308 studies initially identified, 26 met the inclusion criteria. A majority of studies were from the United States, and most used case review methods. From the included studies, rates of re-abuse, and particularly rates of physical and sexual abuse, appear to...
Geography Compass, 2010
In many Sub-Saharan African countries, the care of chronically ill, disabled or elderly relatives is usually regarded as the responsibility of family members, within a broader landscape of often overburdened healthcare systems, the expense of medical fees, very limited access to social protection and policies that emphasise home-based care. Recent studies have demonstrated that children and youth, particularly girls and young women, take on considerable caring roles for chronically ill and elderly relatives in Africa. This article reviews the available research on young people"s caring roles and responsibilities within families affected by chronic illness and disability in Sub-Saharan Africa. I discuss how children"s caring roles challenge global and local constructions of childhood and suggest ways of conceptualising the socio-spatial and embodied dimensions of children"s everyday care work within diverse household forms. I analyse evidence on outcomes of care and children"s resilience in managing their caring responsibilities and examine the complex array of processes that influence whether children take on caring roles within the family. I argue that relational, intergenerational and lifecourse approaches to researching children"s caring responsibilities within the family have considerable potential for future geographical research and could provide further insights into the ways that care is embedded in social relations,
Children’s Caring Roles and Responsibilities within the Family in Africa
Geography Compass, 2010
In many Sub‐Saharan African countries, the care of chronically ill, disabled or elderly relatives is usually regarded as the responsibility of family members, within a broader landscape of often overburdened healthcare systems, the expense of medical fees, very limited access to social protection and policies that emphasise home‐based care. Recent studies have demonstrated that children and youth, particularly girls and young women, take on considerable caring roles for chronically ill and elderly and young relatives in Africa. This article reviews the available research on young people’s caring roles and responsibilities within families affected by chronic illness and disability in Sub‐Saharan Africa. I discuss how children’s caring roles challenge global and local constructions of childhood and suggest ways of conceptualising the socio‐spatial and embodied dimensions of children’s everyday care work within diverse household forms. I analyse evidence on outcomes of caring and child...
Child & Family Social Work, 2009
Surveys were employed to explore the experiences of children in care and their carers about traditional fostering. They also examined the perspectives of randomly selected adults in the community about the practice of traditional foster care in the Tamale area of northern Ghana. The 74 participants responded to closed- and open-ended interview questions about traditional foster care. Frequencies and thematic grouping of qualitative responses showed that the need to keep family ties alive was the key reason for placement of children with family and kin. Majority of the children expressed satisfaction with living in foster care, even though they had experienced physical and emotional abuse and intimidation. Although most carers were not formally employed and had little personal income, they were positive about having the care role, but faced challenges in providing for many children in a difficult economic situation. The report highlights the role of reciprocity, altruistic and socio-cultural factors in quality of care, and the potential for the traditional kinship foster care to provide suitable avenues of placement for children as recommended by the Ghana child rights law. It also identifies the need for education for carers around children's needs and Ghana's child rights law.
2017
Although several studies have shown that children raised in institutional care facilities experience greater mental health symptoms than those raised in noninstitutionalized settings, children across sub-Saharan Africa are continually being placed in institutional care facilities. However, prior to the establishment of institutional care facilities, Africans relied on traditional cultural practices such as kinship fostering and shared child rearing to care for children, especially orphaned children. As traditional cultural practices continue to weaken, due partly to urbanization, institutional care facilities operated mostly by nonprofit organizations have become the primary alternative response to the care of orphans and vulnerable children. Traditional ways of intervening in cases of orphans and vulnerable children have been replaced with institutional care facilities, relegating the role of the extended family system. This paper examines institutional care facilities in the conte...