“Strong Beginnings
A Family for all Children”
Alternative Care Initiatives
October 2014
ACI’s Strong Beginnings Team
• Caroline Bankusha – Alternative C are Coordinator
• Mark Riley – Alternative Care Consultant
• Solomon Lukenge – Finance and Administration
• Lillian Hope– Administrative Support / Researcher
• Dorah Musiimire – MGLSD PSWO allocated to Alternative Care
Unit
• Charles – Assessment Team Driver
ACI’s role in Strong Beginnings
• Establish an Alternative Care Unit at MGLSD
– Now established and operational
• Assessment and follow-up of Child Care Institutions (CCIs)
– 44 assessments undertaken and 17 follow-ups (Total of = 61 against
a target of 48)
– 1488 children resident in the assessed CCI’s
• Transition the Alternative Care Panel into MGLSD
– One panel undertake at MGLSD, next panel in October
– Panel invites now being signed and sent by MGLSD
Challenges
•
Mobilising MGLSD Inspection Team often difficult due to conflicting diaries
•
Political influence of CCI’s / CCI’s lobbying officials
•
Internal MGLSD processes limited in certain areas
•
Over reliance on key MGLSD Personnel
•
Obtaining Assessment Results from Assessment team
•
ACIU being nationally recognised and receives referrals and requests from a
multitude of sources but has limited capacity within the Unit
•
Discovering ‘suspected‘ child trafficking connected to CCI’s
Plans
• Improve Assessment Processes
– Permanent Secretary to sign off results before feedback to CCI’s
– CCI’s to sign a off at the end of an assessment
– ACI to temporarily compile full reports of assessments & update
database
– Improve referral mechanisms – Anti-Trafficking
• Expand Assessment Results Database and publish assessment Results
• Advocate MGLSD and donors for funds for a CCI closure team and Closure
Programme
• Transition the Alternative Care Panel to MGLSD ongoing
Contacts
Mark Riley, mark.riley@alternative-care-initiatives.org , 0784350921
Caroline Bankusha, cbankusha68@yahoo.com, 0772433265
Dorah Musiimire, MGLSD PSWO, dmusiimire@yahoo.co.uk, 0782308148