About the ICB Journal
In March 2014, Udayan Care launched a bi- annual academic journal 'Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond' (ICB) to deliberate on policy, practice and gaps in family strengthening and alternative care for children and youth without parental care. Since, the year 2020, this journal is being published in partnership with SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne). In 2023, ICB journal is completing a decade of compiling and publishing regional evidence. The journal’s regional focus is on Asia and it follows a double anonymized peer review process. It is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Access the ICB journal Page
Mission:
The purpose of the journal is to expand and enhance knowledge about children and youth without parental care and those at risk of separation from their families. The mission is to create a rich regional platform for sharing discourses, bringing together stakeholders, to discuss issues related to laws, practices and evidence-based research, regarding family strengthening and alternative care for children and youth without parental care in global space with a focus on Asia.
So far 23 issues of the journal have been released and we are now ready to release the 24th, Vol. 12 No. 2, in September, 2025. We are also currently accepting abstracts for the September 2025 and March 2026 issues, with focus on mental health, alternative care and family strengthening.
Make sure to book your subscription to ICB in order to engage with knowledge sharing with regards to alternative care of children and parents without parental care in Asia!
For further information, write to icbjournal@udayancare.org.
Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond is hosted on SAGE Peer Review, a web-based online submission and peer review system. Please read the Manuscript Submission Guidelines below, and then visit https://peerreview.sagepub.com/icb to login and submit your article online. Remember you can log in to the submission site at any time to check on the progress of your paper through the peer review process.
September 2024 Issue Launch
March 2024 Issue Launch
Celebrating 10 years of ICB Journal, the March 2024 issue was launched at the 2nd Round Table on Strengthening and Empowering Families Advancing Evidence- Based Practice in Alternative Care for Stronger Communities, held at India International Centre on 19th March, 2024. It comprised of two panel discussions including one session on ‘Status of Family Strengthening Initiatives in India’ followed by a session on “Power of Data and Evidence – The Research Perspective on Alternative Care and Family Strengthening in India”. This event also marked the release of ICB podcast series of 5 podcasts with global experts marking a decadal journey of ICB journal.
September 2023 Issue Launch at 5th BICON
Udayan Care celebrated a milestone: a decade of academic engagement of the Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond (ICB) Journal's academic engagement. To mark this achievement, a special issue titled "The Evolution of Alternative Care in South Asia over the Last Decade and Way Forward" was launched at 5th BICON, 2023 in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Honourable Minister, Surendra Acharya, Honourable Minister, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Nepal; Indradevi Dhakal, Member Secretary NCRC, Nepal; Rajeev Kumar, SOS Children's Villages; @EnamulHaque and Sumnima Tuladhar - Editorial Members ICB; Dikshya Thapa, Shine together care leavers network. This special issue provides a real, raw and compelling view of alternative care in seven countries which seeks to delve into the multifaceted process of child protection system reform across these nations, thereby examining the challenges, progress so far, and lessons learned from the past ten years providing a direction to the way forward. In an effort to delve into the lived experiences of care leavers, this issue presented a collection of written interviews conducted with care experienced youth from Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to amplify their voices.
