Ministry of Social Solidarity Pauses Orphanage Licensing For One Year

Licensing for new residential care homes, often referred to as orphanages, will remain paused for one year starting December 16th, 2025. The decision was issued by Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy. The ministry stated that it is advancing a policy shift from institutional care to family-based care within the kafala system and moving to reduce the number of social care homes.

The Ministry of Social Solidarity said that from July 2024 to date, 613 children were placed with alternative foster families. This brings the total number of children living within alternative foster families to 12,275. The ministry added that the total number of registered alternative foster families has reached 12,016. According to the ministry, there are 462 social care homes nationwide that currently house about 8,600 children.

As part of this direction, the Ministry of Social Solidarity said it is working to enhance the integration of children into the community and expand opportunities for interaction and learning outside the institutional framework. The continuation of the pause on orphanage licensing forms part of this shift towards family-based care, with the one-year period beginning on December 16th, 2025.