In the face of growing international support for recognition of child-headed households, the author poses the following questions: What does the internationally recognised right to alternative care for children entail? Is the recognition of child-headed households as a form of alternative care in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards? Three appendixes present: (1) Convention on the Rights of the Child; (2) African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; and (3) UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. A bibliography and list of legal documents are also included. (Contains 909 footnotes and 15 figures.)