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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Committee on the Rights of the Child General comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 02 Mar 2021

In the present general comment, the Committee on the Rights of the Child explains how States parties should implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child in relation to the digital environment and provides guidance on relevant legislative, policy and other measures to ensure full compliance with their obligations under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto in the light of the opportunities, risks and challenges in promoting, respecting, protecting and fulfilling all children’s rights in the digital environment.

Manufacturing Moral Panic: Weaponizing Children to Undermine Gender Justice and Human Rights

Elevate Children Funders Group and Global Philanthropy Project with the research team Sentiido, 01 Mar 2021

This report explores how gender-restrictive groups are using child protection rhetoric to manufacture moral panic and mobilize against human rights, and how this strengthens the illiberal politics currently undermining democracies.

Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future: Children and young people's contribution to the new EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the Child Guarantee

ChildFund Alliance, Eurochild, Save The Children, UNICEF, World Vision, 01 Feb 2021

The perspectives and priorities of more than 10,000 children and young people, from within and outside the European Union (EU), are expressed powerfully throughout this report.

The Contemporary U.S. Child Welfare System(s): Overview and Key Challenges

Lawrence M. Berger, Kristen S. Slack - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 29 Jan 2021

This introduction sets a foundation for understanding the contents of this volume of The ANNALS, which aims to increase awareness among scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners of the size, scope, and functions of child welfare services in the United States.

Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System: Why Do They Exist, and What Can Be Done to Address Them?

Alan J. Dettlaff, Reiko Boyd - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 29 Jan 2021

This article summarizes the causes of racial disproportionality, arguing that internal and external causes of disproportional involvement originate from a common underlying factor: structural and institutional racism that is both within child welfare systems and part of society at large.

The Evolution of Federal Child Welfare Policy through the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018: Opportunities, Barriers, and Unintended Consequences

Mark F. Testa, David Kelly - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 29 Jan 2021

This article considers how U.S. child welfare agencies can best leverage the opportunities presented by the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 while addressing potential barriers posed by the paucity of evidence-supported prevention programs and avoiding the unintended consequences of limiting reimbursement to only selective prevention services that meet rigorous evidence standards of effectiveness.

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Attachment goes to court: child protection and custody issues

Tommie Forslund, Pehr Granqvist, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, et al - Attachment & Human Development, 11 Jan 2021

The aim of this consensus statement is to enhance understanding, counter misinformation, and steer family-court utilisation of attachment theory in a supportive, evidence-based direction, especially with regard to child protection and child custody decision-making.

Fostering global dialogue: Conceptualisations of children's rights to participation and protection

Tara M. Collins, Irene Rizzini, Amanda Mayhew - Children & Society, 06 Jan 2021

Informed by systematic reviews of the English‐ and Latin American academic literature in Spanish and Portuguese and key informant interviews with international stakeholders, this paper fosters global dialogue with some Global South and Global North perspectives about the interconnections of children's rights.

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The Poverty of Policy: Examining Care Leaving Policy in Ethiopia

Anduamlak Molla Takele, Messay Gebremariam Kotecho, Philip Mendes - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 05 Jan 2021

This article presents the case for an independent care leaving policy in Ethiopia to address the multifaceted needs of children in care and improve the care leaving service in the country.

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Principles for the protection of the rights of the child born through surrogacy (Verona principles)

International Social Service (ISS), 2021

These Principles are designed to inspire and provide guidance on legislative, policy and practical reforms on the upholding of children’s rights born through surrogacy.