- When parental separation is unavoidable, care by family members or close people is associated with better outcomes for children than foster care by families without previous ties or in institutions.
- Most of these arrangements are informal and are not in the official registers, so they need to be better measured.
- Social programs can reach those who take on caregiving responsibilities, even if they are not the child's parents.
It is enough to close our eyes and ask ourselves who has taken care of us throughout our lives for more than one name to come to mind: mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, uncles, teachers, friends, neighbors, people who care for us in a paid and unpaid way. This group of people is part of a care network that sustains us and that becomes especially important at certain stages of life, such as childhood. At the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) we have supported countries in the region in strengthening this network through our programs for children.
The presence of these networks in the first years of life becomes even more important when parents are unable to take care of their children because they are deprived of their liberty, face a physical or mental health condition or have exercised violence against the child, for example.
Activating the network in time can mean that the child remains in the care of people they know and trust. Not activating it, on the other hand, can mean separating them from their world, from what they know and love, to be in the care of a foster family without a previous link or, in the most critical cases, in an institution.
When parental separation is unavoidable, evidence suggests prioritizing care by the extended family or by people who, without being relatives, maintain a close bond with the child. This type of foster care is associated with better outcomes in mental health and in behavioral, social, and educational development. On the other hand, the risks increase for children in foster families and, above all, in institutions.
Raising children requires significant investments of time, care and financial resources, yet families often receive little support. Children’s well-being is closely linked to the well-being of those who care for them. Therefore, policies can act in three areas:
- Expand access to existing programs for caregivers.
Support should follow the child and those who effectively assume their care, regardless of whether or not they are their parents.
For example, with support from the IDB, Argentina has strengthened its cash transfers for vulnerable households with children and adolescents, such as the Universal Child Allowance (AUH). In this case, the person who assumes responsibility for the child's care can collect the AUH, even if that person is not the child’s parent and even, through a social evaluation, when there is no legal documentation that proves custody.
Protecting families also implies accompanying parenting. In Peru, the IDB has supported the strengthening of the Cuna Más National Program, a public policy that promotes the development of children under 36 months of age in poverty, through day care in children's centers and home visits to strengthen parenting practices at home. Both services are aimed at both mothers and fathers as well as guardians and primary caregivers.
- Create specific support for family members and close caregivers.
In addition to facilitating access to existing programs, some countries have created specific support for family members and others close to the child who take on caregiving responsibilities.
In the United States, counseling programs for family caregivers, such as Kinship Navigator Programs, support caregivers to learn about and access available benefits and services. These programs may receive federal funding both for their operation and for developing and evaluating new models.
There are also direct benefits, such as the Washington D.C. Grandparents and Close Relatives Caregiver Program, which offers a monthly cash transfer to those who care for their grandchildren or other close relatives. To apply, both the relationship and the primary responsibility for the child's care must be demonstrated. The latter can be proven with a court order of custody, guardianship or adoption or with other documents such as school or medical records and proof of application for public assistance for the benefit of the minor.
- Improve measurement of care by family members and other trusted caregivers.
Most care arrangements by the extended family are made informally: the parents agree with a family member or someone close to the child to take on caregiving responsibilities, without the intervention of a judge or a protection agency. For this reason, these arrangements are usually left out of the official records, which tend to count only the cases that go through the protection system.
In general, many countries often have data that allow us to estimate how many children live with family members, without their parents. However, this data does not always provide insight into why such a care arrangement occurred. Better measurement involves including specific questions about these arrangements, knowing the needs of caregivers, and assessing what kind of support is required. Time-use or early childhood development surveys could be a good place to start.
Family and affective networks already play a fundamental role when mothers and fathers cannot care of their children. The challenge is that those who assume this role do not have to do it alone or remain invisible to public policies.
Recognizing these forms of care is also part of building care systems that respond to the diversity of needs and realities of families.
Through IDB Cares, the IDB accompanies the countries of the region in the implementation of care systems and makes available an interactive menu with recent programs developed together with governments.