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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Because We are Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relations in Alternative Care

Sylvie Delcroix, Jan Folda, Bettina Hofer, Irene Martín López, Irene Rojnik, Vera von Sartori, Samantha Tedesco, Karin Weiss, Marco Zaniboni, 30 Sep 2012

This publication by SOS Children’s Villages International brings together research findings, learning and policy recommendations about sibling relations in alternative care gathered from five different SOS Children’s Villages associations (Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Spain).

Intercountry Adoption Alternative and Controversies: The Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child

The African Child Policy Forum, 30 Sep 2012

This document provides an overview of The Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child held on 29-30 May 2012 at the United Nations Conference Center Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The overall goal of the Fifth IPC was to further the discussion on intercountry adoption and to contribute to the improvement of national laws, policies, systems and procedures relating to intercountry adoption.

Report on Child Protection and Care System in the Republic Of Armenia

Lilit Petrosyan - National Statistical Service, Republic of Armenia, 26 Sep 2012

This document from the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia provides an overview and assessment of the alternative care system in the country.

The Bujumbura Declaration on Child Rights and Wellbeing in the East African Community

East African Community (EAC), 03 Sep 2012

This Declaration on Child Rights and Wellbeing was adopted by the Partner States of the East African Community (EAC) in Bujumbura on 3rd September 2012 during the First EAC Child Rights Conference under the theme, “Addressing the issues that negatively impact on the realisation of child rights in the EAC.”

Safeguarding the rights of children with disabilities in alternative care: Briefing Paper

Working Group on children without parental care-subgroup of NGO Group for CRC, 01 Sep 2012

This briefing note, produced by an Interagency Working Group on children without parental care, was designed to highlight the special vulnerability of children with disabilities who are in alternative care and to encourage members of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Committee to consider the potential added value of reference to the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.

BCN , 22 Aug 2012

Care related sections of the Government of the Russian Federation's fourth and fifth combined report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (dated 3rd June 2011).

Foster Care for Young Children: Why It Must Be Developmentally Informed

Dr. Charles H. Zeanah, M.D., MS. Carole Shauffer, J.D., and Dr. Mary Dozier, Ph.D. - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 19 Aug 2012

This article focuses on a central problem of foster care, which is that it is often not developmentally informed.

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Foster Care and Adoption Policy in Lesotho

Ministry of Social Development, Government of Lesotho, 07 Aug 2012

A document containing the policy for foster care and adoption in Lesotho.

Strengthening Child Protection Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Working Paper

Rebecca Davis,Jim McCaffery, and Alessandro Conticini , 01 Aug 2012

This paper is a response to the increasing need for agreement on approaches and documented evidence of good practices consistent with system strengthening work. The purpose of the Inter-Agency Working Paper is to consolidate current thinking, examples and lessons learned about child protection system strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa and suggest a way forward.

Foster Care and Adoption Procedures and Practice Guidelines for Lesotho

Ministry of Social Development, Government of Lesotho, 01 Aug 2012

This document contains the Procedures and Practice Guidelines for Foster Care and Adoption in Lesotho.