Support Systems for Children with Disability in Alternative Care System in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria maintains residential homes as a form of alternative care for children with disability (CWD) despite its reversal in developed nations. This cross-sectional study profiled the nature of care for CWDs in alternative residential homes (ARHs) in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study administered 131 copies of a standardized questionnaire to CWDs, while eight interviews were conducted among staff of residential homes and regulatory bodies. The male (54.2%) population dominated the homes. Satisfaction in healthcare services (61%) and in quality of feeding (73%) were reported, while 32% CWDs expressed willingness to leave the residential homes for reasons of inadequate support structures. There was no significant relationship between respondents’ duration of stay and the likelihood of recommending residential homes as the best model for supporting CWD (P<0.05). Residential homes provided in-group solidarity and basic survival needs for CWDs, but lacked formal mechanisms for reporting and responding to abuses. Social workers can play a pivotal role in public sensitization to challenge the placing of CWDs in deficient ARHs and can also be at the forefront of advocating for social welfare programmes for parents of CWDs to enable the children to grow within their natural family settings.