Local Study on the Situation of Children in Residential Protection Care

The study was commissioned by the child welfare agency IBESR, with UNICEF's regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the support of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, to examine the situation of children placed in residential institutions, their family backgrounds and the views of children and families. It combines an extensive literature review with qualitative research among center directors and child protection officers, and four surveys: 51 center directors, 159 children, 32 family members and 614 people in the street. Three consultants spent two weeks on written sources, including Haitian and international law, and contacted adoption and sponsorship agencies in the United States, almost all of which declined to give information. Chapters cover the profile of children, placement and departure, resources of centers, children's views, family views, quality of centers and public opinion, with annexes listing the centers sampled.