Kia ora Edem
I agree - the approach to this challenge must be multifaceted, and ideally there would be coordination between workers in social welfare, the police, health and education to support children and families who live in public spaces to access opportunities and reduce the harms to which they are exposed. This is frequently difficult to achieve given the constraints under which many of these services operate, although sometimes workers in different departments may be unaware of what others in related roles can offer.
I think it's likely that an effective response would need to begin from collaboration with children and families in street situations and with a detailed understanding of their stories and their needs. Organisations in some countries have successfully used participatory action research methods to work with children, young people and their parents to understand their perspectives and challenges. With that knowledge, they have been able to partner with children and families in street situations to connect them with services, but also to advocate for improved collaborative working between different state and non-governmental organisations.
The Consortium for Street Children has a wide network of members working on these issues and a library of resources on their website: https://www.streetchildren.org/. If you would like to discuss specific ideas for approaches send me an email: chhandsATadhb.govt.nz.
Chris
CHIFA profile:
Chris Hands is an intensive care specialist working in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand. He has a background in paediatrics and contributes to a programme of research on child protection systems in the Maghreb region. chhandsATadhb.govt.nz