Child Headed Households

In this section ASOD-Uganda looks at issues relating to child-headed households. Other sections look, in general, at issues facing carers and in detail at issues facing older carers. Key points about child-headed households are:

1. A child-headed household is one which is led by a child under the age of 18. This child takes on responsibilities usually carried out by parents, including providing care to other children.
2. Child-headed households have been observed in parts of Africa which have been badly affected by AIDS. They are a new thing in those areas. The main cause of this change is the large number of young adults dying from AIDS.
3. Some documents state that child-headed households are evidence that the extended family system is collapsing and failing to cope. Evidence shows that most child-headed households receive support from their extended families. Child-headed households are one way in which the extended family is adapting to cope with problems produced by HIV/AIDS.
4. Child-headed households face a wide range of issues. The most pressing relate to survival needs and poverty.
5. Child-headed households can be helped to cope more effectively with modest levels of support. Effective support mechanisms include visits from community volunteers, modest levels of material support and training in effective parenting.

   What are Child-Headed Households?

   A child-headed household is one which is led by a child under the age of 18. This child takes on responsibilities usually carried out by parents, including providing care to other children. Children as young as 8 act as heads of such households.

   The main event that leads to establishment of a child-headed household is the death of both parents. However, in some cases, one or both parents are still alive. Other events include parental illness or disability. In some cases, one or both parents have left the family home for some reason. The term is usually applied to households where the person heading it is not the parent. Although there are many documents about teenage pregnancy, this does not appear to have been identified as a factor in causing the establishment of child-headed households.

   In many cases, the child-headed household was not established immediately at the time of parental death. Often, the children were cared for initially by a relative, often a grandparent. Only another event, such as the death of that care giver resulted in a child-headed household being established. Child-headed households have mainly been observed in rural areas. This may be due to higher cost of living in urban areas and the more stable community structures in rural areas. Children and young people do live unaccompanied by adults in urban areas but this is often not in any formal shelter. Such children and young people are often referred to as street children.

   In some cases, adults do live within households which are child-headed. However, they play no part in providing care for the household and do not contribute to its livelihood. This may be due, for example, to disability or illness. Such households are called 'accompanied' child-headed households. This is distinct from 'unaccompanied' households which have no adults in them.

   Similarly, some authors identify 'adolescent-headed households'. These are defined as households headed by a person aged 18-24 years, who is not the biological parent. In many cases, child-headed households become adolescent-headed once the primary caregiver reaches 18 years of age.

   Child-Headed Households and HIV/AIDS

   Child-headed households have been observed in parts of Africa which have been badly affected by AIDS. They are a new thing in those areas. Most child-headed households are composed of families where both parents have died. Cause of death is not always known but HIV/AIDS is likely to be the cause in most cases.

   It is widely stated that the creation of child-headed households is evidence that the extended family system is unable to cope with situations created by HIV/AIDS. However, evidence suggests that this might not be the case. Rather, child-headed households may be a mechanism used by extended families to cope with the situation. Evidence for this includes the following:

   • Many child-headed households live close to their extended families. They are often visited by them. They may receive limited amounts of material support.
   • In some situations, younger children (under 5 years) are taken to live with the extended family. The older children and young people are kept together within a child-headed households.
   Various reasons are given for children and young people living in a child-headed household rather than with the extended family. This may be because no relative could be identified to take them. Alternatively, it may reflect the wishes of the parent and/or the children. Many parents and children prefer to live as a child-headed household rather than to risk loss of the family home and other property. In addition, children and young people often wish to stay together. This is not always possible if care of children is taken on by extended family members.

   Issues faced by Child-Headed Households

   Child-headed households face a wide range of issues. The most pressing relate to survival needs and poverty. Children and young people in child-headed households need to work hard to care for each other and to earn a living. They may miss out on education and health care. They have to cope with grief, stigma and discrimination and may receive little support from the community.

   Helpful Responses

   Child-headed households can be helped to cope more effectively with modest levels of support. Effective support mechanisms include visits from community volunteers, modest levels of material support and training in effective parenting. Training in effective parenting involves learning:
   • Skills in caring for sick people.
   • About growing-up, including issues relating to sex, drugs and alcohol.
   • Household management.
   • Nutrition and cooking.
   • First Aid.
   • About laws and human rights.
   • How to deal with conflict in families.
   • How to record memories.
   • How to encourage children to play.