Deinstitutionalization during Disruption: Supporting Families and Children amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal
Keywords:
COVID-19, Family reintegration, Family support, Deinstitutionalization, Effective intervention, NepalAbstract
This paper investigates the efforts towards deinstitutionalization in Nepal amid the health pandemic that disrupted lives globally and led Nepal to a lengthy complete lockdown and several partial lockdowns. It explores the work of The Himalayan Innovative Society (THIS)—under the technical and financial support of Forget Me Not (FMN)—as a case in point to explore the support extended to families and children in Nepal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including family reunification, family support, and psychological support to children reunified with families. The paper describes the work of THIS at the local and national level and FMN as a part of the growing regional and global discourse and movement on promoting family-based alternative care including UN DGD Theme 2021 on Children’s Rights in Alternative Care. Furthermore, the paper also analyses the strengths of the interventions and identifies the areas of improvement to suggest an evidence-based intervention model for working with families and children during disruptions. The authors argue that the proposed model of intervention can be useful in a health-related pandemic as well as other disruptions, including natural emergencies and man-made disasters.
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