The Phased Integrated Community (PIC) Model: A Framework for Care and Child Protection

Abstract

Global cases of child abuse and neglect highlight the need to generate improved frameworks of care, support and child protection. A number of models exist globally, albeit with limitations. This paper draws from the evidence base and a Ugandan study which sought to understand the existing mechanisms of support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) including the availability, efficacy and limitations of these support systems. Building on the limitations of the existing interventions, this paper proposes the Phased Integrated Community (PIC) model, a hybrid framework that draws from existing models in the fields of social sciences and epidemiology to provide solutions for OVC care and support. The PIC model critiques the inherent limitations of existing frameworks and adapts their unique strengths. The model also highlights that the notion of child agency is under-developed in most OVC interventions, arguing that this could partly explain their marginal impact, and then makes a case for incorporating child agency in childcare and child protection. The proposed model challenges dominant discourses on childhood and focuses on the agency, aspirations and expressed needs of OVC. A key argument is that nuanced and accurate representations of OVC are critical to their support. This framework positions OVC at the heart of their communities, highlighting the limitations of some cultural and structural aspects. It is cognizant of the strained community capacity (rupture theory), in spite of its willingness to provide quality care and support. The framework also aligns itself with, and supports, national policy and cherished cultural values in Uganda that the extended family and community should be the first line of response for OVC.