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Question & problem

Many people with disabilities require the assistance of other people in order to go about their daily lives. In high-income countries, home-based carers are professional or para-professional workers who provide assistance to people with disabilities, in their homes. They are often well-trained, and remunerated for their services. However, individuals with disabilities in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) predominantly live with their family, and receive home-based care from family members. There are some stresses associated with giving care to others, and these include burnout, compassion fatigue, and an array of emotional and social consequences related to the caring role. The carers, too, need care. This evidence brief summarises what we know about how to support home-based carers, taking into consideration that these people, in LMIC, are often untrained, unpaid family members of the person for whom they are caring.

Question & problem

For people with disabilities, a major determinant of social and economic outcomes in adulthood, is access to, and the adequacy of, education in childhood and adolescence. Yet, children with disabilities are less likely to be enrolled in, or complete, school. Further, there are substantial gaps in the evidence regarding what works to improve educational outcomes of children with disabilities in school. Educational outcomes, here include academic achievement, pass rates, and grade completion. Many studies measure child behaviour and proxy or distal outcomes in response to various interventions, but not actually how children with disabilities do in these domains. This is particularly the case in LMIC, where there is a dearth data about the effects of educational policies and practices on child educational outcomes.

Question & problem

It is estimated that approximately 10-20% of children, adolescents and young people (under the age of 18) worldwide have a disabling mental health condition. Approximately two-thirds of the global youth population goes to school for a significant proportion of the day. The idea of delivering mental health support in the setting has gained prominence as a way to increase the coverage and accessibility of mental health support for children. While there is a wealth of evidence around school mental health approaches in HIC, there is limited information with regards to their impact in low- and middle-income settings. This evidence brief explores what has worked for the delivery of school mental health initiatives in diverse settings, as well as evidence-based recommendations to strengthen them.

This paper presents the findings of a "participatory research project, developed collaboratively between Australian and Cambodian partners, (that) investigated prevalence and experiences of gender-based violence of women with disabilities in comparison to women without disabilities; assessed the extent to which existing policies and programs include or address women with disabilities; and explored how women with disabilities are supported or denied access to existing programs"
AusAID Research Working Paper 1

This report highlights violence against children with disabilities in five study African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. The report notes that there is widespread apathy and negligence at state, local and community levels, and highlights a lack of financial and medical aid, inadequate and inaccessible state facilities and systems, and insufficient community understanding. The study report documents the negative effect this has on children with disabilities and makes a number of recommendations to help improve the situation