The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has launched guidelines and regulations to strengthen the Ghanaian social welfare system, under government’s Care Reform Initiative, ABC News Ghana can report.

According to the Ministry, the move is to help regulate residential homes for children and promote family-based care.

The project which is funded by the United States of America through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is aimed at helping families care for their children, preventing unnecessary family-child separation, and promoting appropriate, protective and permanent family care.

Delivering a speech at the launch, Ms. Sharon. L. Cromer, the Missions Director of USAID-Ghana, said the USA is committed to offering every Ghanaian child the opportunity to grow up in a good family environment.

“Today, we solidify our commitment to offer every child the opportunity to grow up in a supportive and nurturing environment.

She further noted that, “it is not only a human right accorded to them by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but it is also critical to their health and development".

Through the USAID’s support, the Ministry has developed “ National standards for residential homes for chidren, standard operating procedures for inspection of residential homes; standard operating procedures for case management and tools to establish and implement a formal foster care systems.

The support will also enable the Ministry to identify and monitor for the numerous informal and unregulated residential homes for children throughout the country.

These interventions, according to the Gender Ministry, will help government ensure that children grow up safely and healthy and reduce child trafficking, particularly in the cocoa and fishing industries.

The event, which was held on 13th May saw the attendance of members of the Department of Social Welfare, Department of Children, the Central Adoption Authority and civil society partners who joined the Gender Minister, Hon. Cynthia Morrison and the USAID-Ghana Missions director, Ms. Sharon Cromer.