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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Zambia: Adolescent Health Strategic Plan 2011-2015

Republic of Zambia - Ministry of Health, 01 Apr 2012

The national Adolescent Health Strategic Plan 2011 to 2015 (ADH-SP 2011- 2015) for Zambia, seeks to outline the strategic framework for promoting the planning, organization and delivery of appropriate, accessible, efficient and effective Adolescent Friendly Health Services (ADFHS) throughout the country.

Uganda Child Protection National Training Curriculum

01 Mar 2012

Over the past two decades of humanitarian work in northern Uganda, national and international child-focused organisations as well as government departments responsible for children have built a rich body of knowledge that has informed child protection work throughout the country. The development of this Child Protection Curriculum and related training materials is therefore a first step by the Ministry of Gender, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Child Protection Working Group in Uganda, and selected academic institutions to professionalise the child protection sector within the broader realm of social work in Uganda.

Experiences of orphan care in Amach, Uganda: assessing policy implications

Christopher Oleke, Astrid Blystad, Ole Bjørn Rekdal & Karen Marie Moland - Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 28 Feb 2012

This paper presents findings from a study on the experiences of orphan care among Langi people of Amach sub-county in Lira District, northern Uganda, and discusses their policy implications.

“I Don't Know What They Know”: Knowledge transfer in mandated referral from child welfare to early intervention

April D. Allen, Justeen Hyde, Laurel K. Leslie - Children and Youth Services Review, 21 Feb 2012

Knowledge transfer is highlighted in this paper as a conceptual framework to understand mandated referral to Early Intervention (EI) services for young children with open child welfare cases.

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The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention

Xiangming Fang, Derek S. Brown, Curtis S. Florence, James A. Mercy , 01 Feb 2012

This paper presents new estimates of the average lifetime cost per child maltreatment (CM) victim in the United States and aggregate lifetime costs for all new cases of CM incurred in 2008 using an incidence-based approach. The authors find that the lifetime economic burden of CM is approximately $124 billion. Given this substantial economic burden, the authors argue that the benefits of prevention will likely outweigh the costs for effective programs.

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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.