In 2016, Coram International was contracted by UNICEF to undertake an in-depth study in order to build a solid knowledge-base on different forms of community-based alternative care practices, including Pagoda-based care in Cambodia. The research study, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs, was used to inform child care sector reform in Cambodia.
The study was implemented to meet the urgent need to better understand the practices of family and community-based care alternatives, especially in light of the Cambodian Government’s commitment to re-integrate children currently living in residential care into community-based care arrangements. The study assessed the different forms of alternative care in the community, particularly kinship care, foster care, group homes and pagoda-based care, and analysed to what degree these forms of care are in compliance with the national and international Minimum Standards of Alternative Care for Children. It also looked into the costs and funding sources of the different forms of community-based alternative care in Cambodia.