Social orphanhood is an extreme outcome of accumulated vulnerability, in which a child is separated from parental or family care while one or both parents are alive. The child may enter alternative care or be left without stable care and support — for example, living on the streets or moving between temporary caregivers.
In some cases, separation is the only option — in cases of violence, abuse, and neglect that put a child's safety at immediate risk.
But it should not be the default option in the overwhelming majority of cases, because both the short- and long-term consequences of separation and the institutionalization that often follows can significantly affect a child's physical development, emotional well-being, and future life outcomes.
~80%
Of children in institutional care fall behind their family-raised peers in growth (height and weight) and cognitive development.
*van IJzendoorn et al. (2020), "Institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of children 1: a systematic and integrative review of evidence regarding effects on development," The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(8), 703–720.
1 in 4
Children in institutional care develop a secure attachment, compared with 6 in 10 children raised in families — about 61% lower.
*van IJzendoorn et al. (2020), "Institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of children 1: a systematic and integrative review of evidence regarding effects on development," The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(8), 703–720.
~4x
More likely to develop disorganized attachment among children raised in institutional care (57%) compared with children raised in families (15%).
*van IJzendoorn et al. (2020), "Institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of children 1: a systematic and integrative review of evidence regarding effects on development," The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(8), 703–720.
43% vs. 9.5%
Of young people aged 15–23 who experienced family separation and institutionalization in early childhood sought psychiatric or psychological help during adolescence or early adulthood, compared with 9.5% of peers without a similar experience.
*Sonuga-Barke et al. (2017), "Child-to-adult neurodevelopmental and mental health trajectories after early life deprivation," The Lancet, 389(10078), 1539–1548.
~2x
More likely to have low educational attainment by young adulthood among those who experienced institutionalization in early childhood, compared with those who did not.
*Sonuga-Barke et al. (2017), "Child-to-adult neurodevelopmental and mental health trajectories after early life deprivation," The Lancet, 389(10078), 1539–1548.
~2.5x
More likely to be unemployed in adulthood among those who experienced institutionalization in early childhood, compared with those who did not.
*Sonuga-Barke et al. (2017), "Child-to-adult neurodevelopmental and mental health trajectories after early life deprivation," The Lancet, 389(10078), 1539–1548.
This is only a fraction of the negative impact caused by the traumatic experience many children face in institutional care. We still don't know the full picture, because, despite the scale of the problem, it is disproportionately underrepresented both in institutional and public narratives in a big number of countries.
That's why the Child Visibility Initiative works to build the evidence base around this phenomenon that systems need in order to recognize vulnerability earlier, before it leads to family separation.