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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Participation of Children in Decision-Making and their Psychosocial Wellbeing within the Child Protection System in St. Petersburg, Russia

Veronika Odinokova, Maia Rusakova - The Journal of Social Policy Studies. Volume, 2019

This study raised the following research questions: To what extent is the right of a child separated from his or her natural parents to participate in decisionmaking respected? How does involvement in decision-making impact their psychosocial wellbeing?

Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children in Kenya (2014): A User-friendly Handbook

Department of Children's Services - Republic of Kenya, 2019

This handbook is a key tool for supporting care reform in Kenya, promoting family-based alternative care for children, and moving away from institutional care.

The Inheritance Rights of Indonesian Citizens Adopted by Foreign Citizens Reviewed from Indonesian Inheritance Law

Dio Nugraha Rizki, Zainul Daulay, Beatrix Benni - International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 2019

This article explores the inheritance rights of Indonesian citizens adopted by foreign nationals in terms of Indonesian inheritance law.

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Analysis of the child protection system in Bulgaria: Final Report (Bulgarian)

UNICEF, 2019

This research is based on a stock-taking of the current situation. It is based on a comprehensive literature review and a genuine primary research with service users as well as policy makers, service providers, children and families.

Role of the Ombudsman for Children in Protection of the Rights of Children Who Are Raised in Adoptive Families

Tuzova O. N. & Stepanova D. N. - Psychology and Law, 2019

The aim of this article is to develop proposals for the organization of a legal and regulatory framework in Russia, in accordance with the social and psychological needs of guardianship families and to identify the possibilities of the Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child to protect the rights of minors raised in guardianship families.

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Principle of Subsidiarity - ISS/IRC comparative working paper 1: Spotlight on solutions

International Social Service, 2019

Having the best interest principle and taking into account the individual needs of each child in intercountry adoptions, this paper endeavours to promote the two tier approach of the principle of subsidiarity by examining the drafting spirit behind international standards (Section 1), providing examples of legislation and jurisprudence (Section 2) and identifying promising practices (Section 3) that reflect the principle.

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work, 1st Edition

Edited by Stephen A. Webb, 2019

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work brings together the world’s leading scholars in the field to provide a cutting-edge overview of classic and current research and future trends in the subject.

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Memoria de Labores 2019

Consejo Nacional de Adopciones, 2019

El Consejo Nacional de Adopciones se presenta al público en general la Memoria de Labores correspondiente al 2019, en la cual el único compromiso fue restituir los derechos de la niñez guatemalteca.

Specialized Residential Placements for Child Trafficking Victims 2019

Amy Farrell, Sarah Lockwood, Kelly Goggin, Shannon Hogan - Violence and Justice Research Laboratory, Northeastern University, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2019

This study outlines the policies, practices, and programming that have been implemented across the US to provide specialized responses to exploited and trafficked youth within residential placement settings.

Putting Family First: The Need for Reform in Minnesota's Foster Care Licensing Statutes and Processes to Support Relative Placement

Joanna Woolman - Mitchell Hamline Law Review, 2019

This article tracks the history of foster care licensing requirements in the U.S. state of Minnesota, discusses the real-life story of a grandmother with a grandchild placed in foster care, explains the federal mandates established through the Adam Walsh Act, discusses the existing flaws in the process, and highlights the ways in which Minnesota’s current statutory scheme and processes disproportionally impact communities of color.