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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Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe: Hungarian Language Summary Brochure

University of Nottingham, UK, 2012

This document is a Hungarian language summary brochure of the Manual of Good Practice titled ‘Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe,’ specific to child abandonment in Hungary.

Measuring and Monitoring Child Protection Systems - Proposed Regional Core Indicators for East Asia and the Pacific

UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), 2012

This publication proposes a framework of core indicators for measuring and monitoring national child protection systems in the East Asia and Pacific region.

Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe: Bulgarian Language Summary Brochure

University of Nottinghman, 2012

This document is a Bulgarian language summary brochure of the Manual of Good Practice titled ‘Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe,’ specific to child abandonment in Bulgaria.

Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe: UK Summary Brochure

University of Nottingham, UK, 2012

This document is an English language summary brochure of the Manual of Best Practice titled ‘Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe,’ specific to child abandonment in the UK.

State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

UNICEF, 2012

This report provides data on children living in urban settings, including statistics, conditions, and personal testimonies. The report also includes UNICEF’s recommendations for policy regarding children in urban settings, working with this population, and for future action. Sections that are relevant to children’s care include: children living and working on the streets, migrant children, urban emergencies, and many more.

De-institutionalisation of Services for Children in State are in Ireland: A Case Study of International Relevance

Robert H. Gilligan - Social Work Forum, 2012

This paper describes Ireland’s successful implementation of a policy of de-institutionalization of out-of-home care for children.

Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe: Polish Language Summary Brochure

University of Nottingham, UK, 2012

This document is a Polish language summary brochure of the Manual of Best Practice titled ‘Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe,’ specific to child abandonment in Poland.

Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe: Danish Language Summary Brochure

University of Nottingham, UK, 2012

This document is a Danish language summary brochure of the Manual of Good Practice titled ‘Child Abandonment and its Prevention in Europe,’ specific to child abandonment in Denmark.

The Long-Term Impact of Child Fostering in Senegal: Adults Fostered in their Childhood

Rosalinda Coppoletta, Philippe De Vreyer, Sylvie Lambert, and Abla Safir , 2012

Using data from a nationally representative household survey conducted in Senegal in 2006-2007, the survey Pauvreté et Structure Familiale, this paper studies the long-term outcomes for adults who have been fostered in their childhood, including children fostered to Koranic schools. It focuses its analysis on education, first employment and current employment as well as on marriage. Findings show that the long-term impacts of fostering are heterogeneous and depend on various reasons including the locations of fostering, host parents, fostering age, and gender.

Forgotten children? An update on young children in institutions across Europe

Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis, Kevin Browne , 2012

This article provides an update on a series of projects that have highlighted the issue of institutionalization of children in Europe, arguing that babies and small children aged less than 3 years old, with or without disability, should not be placed in residential care without a parent or primary caregiver.

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