Throughout the 52 countries in the European region under the umbrella of the World Health Organization, institutional care for young children is common.
Within 46 of WHO European countries, an estimated 43,842 children in need under three years of age are in institutional care.
According to research, evidence proves that such care is detrimental to the mental, behavioral, emotional, and social development of the young children receiving it.
The researchers recommend that children younger than three years old should not be placed in residential care without a parent.
They also call for education and training for policymakers and practitioners on the appropriate care and placement of young children in need.
The researchers add that child protection legislation and interventions to deal with abusive and neglectful parents should also be developed along with community services and alternative family-based care for children.
