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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Institutions vs. Foster Homes: The Empirical Base for a Century of Action

Richard P. Barth , 2002

A review of institutional care and family-centered care with a discussion of both positive and negative aspects of group care. This review paper is primarily focused on showing the inefficacy of group care and recommending other forms of care such as kinship care and even foster care as options that are more cost effective and better for children’s development.

Suffering in Silence: The Links between Human Rights Abuses and HIV Transmission to Girls in Zambia

Janet Fleischman, 2002

Documents the nature of sexual abuse against girls in Zambia, why it continues to happen, and the links with HIV infection. Outlines policies for prevention and details what each relevant organization on the ground is doing (or not doing) to address the problem.

SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), 2002

Pursuant to the decision of the Ninth Summit, the SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements on the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia was signed in January 2002 during the Eleventh Summit in Kathmandu.

Completing the Evaluation Triangle for the Next Century: Measuring Child “Well-Being” in Family Foster Care

James P. Gleeson, Altshuler Sandra J. - Family Foster Care in the Next Century, 30 Mar 2001

This article, a chapter in the book Family Foster Care in the Next Century, describes how child well-being has been conceptualized and measured in research on family foster care, and discusses the essential dimensions that should be included in a useful measure of child well-being.

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China Country Report

Ministry of Civil Affairs, People’s Republic of China, 2001

Country report of China on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

India Country Report

The College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, 2001

Country report of India on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

Philippines Country Report

Standards Bureau of the Philippines, 2001

Country report of the Philippines on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

A Framework For Responding to Vulnerable Children

Sarah Wise, 2001

Discusses the value of the UK Children in Need assessment framework for use by Victorian Family Services (Australia).

Overview of Services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ethiopia

Tsegaye Chernet, 2001

A report on a workshop that was presented in Rwanda that sought to share the experiences of of Ethiopia in caring for orphan and vulnerable children. The aim was to provide lessons to colleagues in Rwanda and elsewhere. The report includes statistical data, information on reunification programs, and reviews recent government and NGO policy shifts.

Ethiopia Country Report

N/A, 2001

Country report of Ethiopia on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.