There is a growing realisation in Pakistan’s child protection and child rights sector that institutional care is not the best environment for children. Experts and practitioners increasingly recognise that children grow better in safe and loving family settings rather than in large care institutions. Around the world, research shows that family-based care, kinship care, and community support systems provide healthier emotional, social, and psychological development for children. Pakistan is also gradually moving towards this understanding.
In Pakistan, many people believe that children living in orphanages or care institutions are orphans with no families. But this is not always true. A large number of children in institutions actually have parents or relatives. Poverty, unemployment, disability, family crisis, and lack of social support are often the real reasons why families send their children to care homes.
For many poor families, placing a child in an institution is not a choice made out of neglect. It is a survival strategy. Families hope their children will receive food, education, shelter, and healthcare that they cannot afford to provide themselves. This hidden reality is rarely discussed in Pakistan.
However, growing up in an institution can have serious emotional and social consequences for children. No matter how well-managed an institution may be, it cannot replace the love, identity, protection, and emotional connection that a family provides. Children need stable relationships, daily affection, and a sense of belonging to grow healthily.
The challenges become even greater when young people “age out” of institutions at the age of 18. Many are suddenly expected to return to biological families or relatives they have not seen for many years. Some barely know these family members at all. Instead of feeling welcomed, many experience confusion, isolation, emotional stress, and difficulty adjusting to family and community life.
After spending most of their childhood in an institution, these young adults often struggle to build trust, develop relationships, and find their place in society. They may feel disconnected from both the institution and the family they are returning to. In many cases, they face stigma and discrimination because they were raised outside a traditional family environment.
Every decision about a child should be based on the best interests of the child, not on the convenience of systems or institutions
This is why Pakistan must move towards family-based care instead of relying heavily on residential institutions. Around the world, evidence shows that children grow and develop better in families and communities than in institutions.
One of the best alternatives is kinship care, where children are cared for by grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or other relatives. Kinship care allows children to stay connected to their family, culture, language, and community. It helps preserve identity and emotional bonds while reducing trauma caused by separation.
Similarly, foster care and community-based family support systems can provide safer and healthier environments for children. These approaches focus on keeping children in loving family settings rather than placing them in large institutions.
Pakistan also needs stronger social protection systems to support vulnerable families before separation happens. Many children could remain safely with their families if parents had financial assistance, access to healthcare, education support, disability services, and emergency community support during crises.
Social protection programmes can also play an important role in preventing children from being separated from their families. Programmes such as the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) can help vulnerable families meet basic needs and reduce the economic pressure that often forces parents to place children in care institutions. When families receive financial support, access to education, healthcare, and community services, they are more likely to keep children within the family environment where they feel safe, loved, and connected.
The government, non-governmental organisations, donors, and child protection organisations must work together to shift resources away from large institutional care models and invest more in family strengthening, reunification, kinship care, and foster care programmes. Institutions should only be used as a temporary and last-resort option.
Most importantly, every decision about a child should be based on the best interests of the child, not on the convenience of systems or institutions.
The issue is not that we lack knowledge. We already know that children do best in families. The real challenge is having the courage and commitment to change the system.
By supporting families instead of buildings, Pakistan can protect the emotional well-being, dignity, and future of its children. Family care is not only a better option — it is a child’s fundamental right.