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.

Displaying 1711 - 1720 of 1778

Browse Other Topics

Changing Minds, Policies and Lives: Gatekeeping Services for Vulnerable Children and Families

Andy Bilson, Louise Fox, Ragnar Gotestam, and Judith Harwin, 2003

Practical guidance, case examples, and tools to assess, monitor, and evaluate child protection services and facilitate reform away from institutionalization of children.

"Évaluation de l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant et Convention des droits de l’enfant "

Elena Rossi, 2003

Le choix entre rapatrier un enfant séparé ou le garder dans le pays d’accueil est une question extrêmement complexe et délicate. Cette question nécessite une plus grande réflexion dans le cas d’enfants qui ne sont pas des demandeurs d’asile ou des réfugiés.

Lire l'article

Community Based Care for Separated Children

David Tolfree, 2003

A paper discussing the shortcomings of systems in which separated children are placed into residential/ institutional forms of care. It also considers community-based and some other forms of care as alternative approaches to preventing unnecessary separation of children from their families.

A Study of the Organisational and Financial Structure of the State Social Child Protection in the Republic of Tajikistan

Nader Ahmadi, 2003

A research study on the policies, finances and current state of care of vulnerable children in Tajikistan. Includes data on budgeting and expenditures around institutional care, as well as recommendations for the creation of short-term and long-term care alternatives.

Children at Risk: Practical Approaches to Addressing Child Protection in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam

Laurence Gray, 2003

Discusses approaches to protecting at-risk children in five Asian countries. Identifies programming and policy measures that effectively address child abuse. Emphasis on committing all levels of society to coordinated practical response.

Designing Research to Study the Effects of Insitutionalization on Brain and Behavioral Development

Charles H. Zeanah, Charles A. Nelson, Nathan A. Fox, 2003

An overview of the largest longitudinal investigation of institutionalized children less than 2 years old ever conducted.

Changing Minds, Policies and Lives: Redirecting Resources to Community-Based Services

Andy Bilson, Louise Fox, Ragnar Gotestam, and Judith Harwin, 2003

Provides an overview of social service provision in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and provides information on ways to move resources away from institutional care, and into community-based social services. Contains specific examples from Latvia, Iceland, Sweden, Romania and other transitioning countries.

Russia Country Report

N/A, 2003

Country report of Russia 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.

Foundations: International Legal Standards: Resource Pack

Action for the Rights of Children, 2002

Resource pack for a rigorous course on international legal standards for children. Includes notes for facilitators, participatory exercises, overheads, and handouts.

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.