The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has launched the National Care Reform Roadmap (NCRR) 2024-2028. The roadmap outlines a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the social welfare workforce, document child protection cases, regulate residential homes for children and promote family-based care, and implement legislative reform to implement the care reform program. It aims to enhance community gatekeeping by promoting the public's awareness to encourage the return of children to their communities and empowering families to prevent unnecessary separation and harmful practices against children. The NCRR represents a commitment by the Government of Ghana to prioritising family-based care as the cornerstone of its child protection agenda. Mrs Darkoa Newman, Minister Designate, MoGCSP said the NCRR, which had been reviewed and validated, was developed to address the problems of children in residential care and issues of new homes springing up and, also to improve on reunification of th ese children with families. She indicated that as of December 2023, there were 117 Residential Homes for Children (RHC) with 3,450 children. Mrs Newman added that residential care should be considered as a last resort and a temporary solution to provide a haven for vulnerable children. 'Residential care, therefore, becomes an option only if family-based alternative care arrangements are immediately impossible and longer-term investigations and placements are needed. I want to emphasize that no matter how well-resourced RHC's are with dedicated and caring staff, they cannot replace a family,' she added. She said providing a safe and nurturing environment for children in need should not be approached as a business venture but should solely depend on humanitarian grounds. 'I entreat you to stop building facilities for RHC as a first resort. If you are passionate about helping needy children in your society, visit a Social Welfare office for advice on what will best serve the children in that community,' she said. According to her the Roadmap was a commitment of the Government and people of Ghana to shape the future of children in residential homes and those at risk of institutional placement and family separation in Ghana. Mrs Newman added that 'the document is a bold and ambitious plan to improve the care and protection of vulnerable children in family settings and not in homes.' Rev. Dr Comfort Asare, Director, Department of Social Welfare, said the Roadmap, among other things, aimed to strengthen the institutional capacity of social workers to oversee, regulate, coordinate, monitor and sustain the care reform at all level and make vulnerable children live in a more conducive environment for a brighter future. She said the NCRR is intended to ensure that by 2028, at least 1,500 children in RHC would safely be reintegrated into their family-based care and receive good-quality case management and support. This, Dr Asare, said if achieved would reduce the number of children living in RHC by 30 per cent. 'No new RHCs will be opened or authorised to operate,' she added. She noted that her outfit had closed down 10 illegal RHC over the last two years, and had trained 1,474 foster parents. 'These foster parents are not relatives so we train them and issue them with certificates indicating that they have received training from social welfare,' she added. Source: Ghana News Agency