SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, (SOSCVN) has called for stronger implementation of alternative care policies to ensure that children in Nigeria grow up in safe, loving and supportive family environments.
The National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, Mr. Eghosa Erhumwunse, made the call at the National Alternative Care Consultative Forum, organised under the Strengthening Child Care and Protection Systems in Nigeria project, funded by the European Union.
The forum, which brought together government officials from the 36 States, development partners, civil society organisations, members of the judiciary, child protection practitioners, young people and the media, is aimed at strengthening the implementation of alternative care standards across the country.
Erhumwunse said the forum would consolidate lessons from States that had taken steps towards implementing alternative care standards, identify gaps and secure commitments from states towards the adoption, domestication and implementation of the National Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children in Nigeria and its Implementation Strategy.
According to the organisation, Nigeria has made progress in establishing legal and policy frameworks for child protection through the Child Rights Act and the National Guidelines, which promote family-based care and recommend residential care only as a last resort and for the shortest possible period.
It, however, noted that by the end of 2025, only five States had formally adopted the National Guidelines into state-level practice, stressing that much more needed to be done to translate policies into effective systems.
The National Director identified poverty, displacement, disability, conflict, abuse, neglect and inadequate family support as some of the factors forcing children into residential care.
He also highlighted inconsistent gatekeeping, an overstretched social service workforce, fragmented data and inadequate funding as major challenges affecting alternative care in Nigeria.
He stressed that alternative care reform should not be limited to moving children out of institutions, but must focus on preventing unnecessary separation by strengthening families and providing support before crises lead to separation.
The National Director further called for the inclusion of children and young people with lived experience of care in decisions affecting them, describing them as “experts by experience.”
He urged government to lead and adequately fund the implementation of alternative care reforms, while calling on development partners, the private sector, civil society and care providers to support the transition towards family-based care.
He said State delegations at the forum would be expected to make specific and time-bound commitments, urging participants to ensure that the commitments were realistic, measurable, adequately resourced and clearly owned.
“Our success will not be measured by the speeches delivered, but by what changes after we leave this room: from policy to implementation, from institutional responses to family-based solutions, and from making decisions for children to making decisions with children,” he said.
The National Director said every child deserved a family, protection, a voice and the opportunity to thrive, urging participants to use the two-day forum to develop practical commitments capable of producing lasting change for children across Nigeria.
