Child Care and Protection Policies

Child care and protection policies regulate the care of children, including the type of support and assistance to be offered, good practice guidelines for the implementation of services, standards for care, and adequate provisions for implementation. They relate to the care a child receives at and away from home.

States and all organisations with child care programmes should have child care policies which are in line with national legislation and international law, e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In line with the CRC, emphasis should be placed on the child’s best interests, with support to families prioritised in order to prevent family separation. Good gatekeeping mechanisms are essential in ensuring families receive the services they need and are entitled to, and to guard against inappropriate placement into poor care arrangements.

Home-based care, day care, and other family support services are mechanisms for assisting families in providing for the child’s development and, when used appropriately, can prevent child separation. When a child is unable to remain at home, alternative forms of community based care should be prioritised, such as formal kinship care or foster care. The use of institutions should be highlighted as a last and temporary measure. All support and care provisions should outline the referral and admission process, the use of care plans, regular reviews, rehabilitation, and aftercare procedures.

Child protection legislation which recognises that abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, and may be carried out by parents, caretakers, children and other adults is required. All agencies working with children should have written child protection policies which respect the rights of the child. Policies should outline behaviours and actions which are unacceptable, provide standards for the appropriate care of children, and clear guidelines on what procedures to follow and by whom, including reporting mechanisms for suspected abuse to an assigned authority for investigation.

Child care and protection policies require resources and monitoring of standards to ensure their appropriate implementation. Adequate provision and training of child care and social work staff is required to deliver family support services and alternatives forms of child care. All staff working with children should be trained and supervised in providing appropriate care for children, identifying abuse, and responding appropriately.

The literature in this section contains country reports and examples of national and organisational child care and protection policies.

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Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change

Jack Shonkoff, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University; Frontiers of Innovation (FOI), 30 Apr 2013

This 5-minute animated video depicts a theory of change for achieving breakthrough outcomes for vulnerable children and families. It describes the need to focus on building the capabilities of caregivers and strengthening the communities that together form the environment of relationships essential to children’s lifelong learning, health, and behavior.

Presentation of the Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children to the African Committee on Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Presenters: Mia Dambach, Clare Feinstein, George Nyakora, 15 Apr 2013

Representatives from International Social Service, Save the Children, and SOS Children’s Villages met with the African Committee on Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child during its 21st session on 15 April, 2013 to present on the international Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (UNGA resolution A/RES/64/142) and its new implementation Handbook “Moving Forward.”

Charts: America's Troubled Affair with Overseas Adoption

Sydney Brownstone and Carolyn Perot, Mother Jones, 15 Apr 2013

Charts that accompany the article Orphan Fever: The Evangelical Movement’s Adoption Obsession, illustrating the trends in international adoptions from Liberia, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Haiti to families in the United States.

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Statement by Ms. Regina Maria Cordeiro (Brazil) on the occasion of the launch of the handbook

Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations , 11 Apr 2013

Statement by Ms. Regina Maria Cordeiro Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations on the occasion of the launch of the handbook ‘Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children’ at UNICEF House in New York on the 11th April 2013

Statement by Ms. Jennifer Davidson, Director of CELCIS on the occasion of the launch of the handbook "Moving Forward"

CELCIS, 11 Apr 2013

Statement by Ms. Jennifer Davidson, CELCIS & co-author of the Handbook on the occasion of the launch of the handbook ‘Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children’ at UNICEF House in New York on the 11th April 2013.

Country Care Review: Liberia

Better Care Network , 04 Apr 2013

This country care review includes the Concluding Observations for the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted as part of its examination of Liberia's second and fourth periodic reports at the 61st Session of the Committee held between 17 September and 5 October, 2012. The Committee’s recommendations on the issue of Family Environment and Alternative Care as well as other care relevant issues are highlighted.

Country Care Review: Andorra

Better Care Network , 04 Apr 2013

This country care review includes the Concluding Observations for the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted as part of its examination of Andorra's second periodic report at the 61st Session of the Committee held between 17 September and 5 October, 2012, as well as other care-related concluding observations, ratification dates, and links to the Universal Periodic Review and Hague Intercountry Adoption Country Profile.

Social Transfers and Child Protection

Armando Barrientos, Jasmina Byrne, Juan Miguel Villa, Paola Peña, 01 Apr 2013

This study, published by the UNICEF Office of Research and Brooks World Poverty Institute, examines the direct, indirect, and implementation impacts of social transfers on child protection outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. The paper discusses the ways in which social transfers can promote the welfare of children by preventing violence, abuse, and exploitation of children and offers recommendations for future research, programming, and practice.

EveryChild Moldova's Programme Experience: Improving Children's Lives through Deinstitutionalization

N. Beth Bradford and Peter Evans , 01 Apr 2013

This Program Review documents the evolution of EveryChild/Partnerships for Every Child’s Program in Moldova since 1994, presenting the development of interventions to improve the lives of children through deinstitutionalization and identifying the best practices and lessons that may be relevant, useful, and replicable to other initiatives and organizations around the world.

Inter-Agency Statement on strengthening child protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa: A call to action to African Union States

Inter-Agency Working Group (list of organizations below), 01 Apr 2013

Thirteen agencies working in Africa have issued a Joint Statement calling on African governments to strengthen their child protection systems to secure the right of children to a life free from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect in both emergency and non-emergency settings.