INTRODUCTION
Children without parents are not only among the most vulnerable members of society – their care and protection also presents a major child-care policy challenge. To date, finding the necessary resources to protect orphans has become a priority for the international aid community (Ennew 2005). This is reflected in ‘rights-based approaches’ to child welfare underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). [1] Among other things, the UNCRC establishes standards for the fulfillment of the well-being of children without parental care. Different articles of the Convention also stipulate the provision, protection and participation of orphans and other vulnerable children in similar circumstances. These include Article 9 (on children’s right to continued contact with parents when in the care of the state); Article 10 (on family reunification if children and parents become separated by national borders); Article 20 (on the state’s responsibilities and alternative forms of care for children separated from their parents); Article 21 (on adoption); and Article 25 (on the need for periodic reviews of placements for children without parents in institutional or alternative care).