Foster parents' withdrawal of child care for unaccompanied and separated children from mahba refugee settlement in kalumbila district, Zambia

Abstract

Zambia has been hosting refugees of different nationalities in the various refugee settlements across the country namely Meheba refugee settlement, Mantapala refugee settlement and Mayukwayukwa settlement. With the influx of asylum seekers entering the country, there arises an occurrence of children arriving in the country without biological parents nor legally recognized guardians. This category of children is referred to as unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). The Zambian governments laws, regional guidelines and international laws maintain that each abandoned, unaccompanied and separated children, their safety and wellbeing should be guaranteed. Protection of these children in Meheba settlement has been through an approach known as foster care. However, there reported incidences of foster parents handing back unaccompanied and separated children to MCDSS living children without parental support or protection contrary to the Child Code Bill of 2022 for Zambia, UN general assembly, Refugee Act of 2017, National Framework for the Care of Children in Need of Care, 2019. Therefore, the intent of the study was to understand the causes of foster parents withdrawing the required parental care for UASC and explore approaches to improve childcare provided by foster parents to them in Meheba settlement. The study established that there were various gaps in the childcare procedures which include, noncompliance, inadequate monitoring, inadequate data management, flaws in case management, support for caregivers, training for caregivers. Recommendations include strengthening the referral and monitoring mechanisms in case management, childcare agencies to upsurge support for community structures and foster parents, improvement of training and sensitization to foster parents, prospective parents and community workers, orientation on UASC on her rights and responsibilities and the department of social welfare to develop a framework to make foster parents accountable.