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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A Guide For Supporting Community-Led Child Protection Processes

Wessells, M. G. - Child Resilience Alliance, 07 Sep 2018

The purpose of this guide and its companion tools is to offer a sustainable approach to child protection in humanitarian and development settings that is community-led rather than NGO- or expert-led.

Aftercare of children in alternative care: An analysis of the international and national legal framework from the prism of human rights

Khan Saif Rasul - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 06 Sep 2018

This study from the Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond Special Issue on Aftercare is aimed at studying the concept of aftercare from the prism of human rights and the international framework in context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN resolution, Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Furthermore, the research is aimed at analysing the legal provisions and standards provided within the Indian legal system and how far it is attuned to the international standards.

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Placement in Care in Early Childhood and School Readiness: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Elizabeth Wall-Wieler, Leslie L. Roos, Janelle Boram Lee, Marcelo L. Urquia, Noralou P. Roos, Sharon Bruce, Marni Brownell - Child Maltreatment, 03 Sep 2018

The current study examined school readiness for children placed in care of child protection services before age 5. This association was assessed using a population-based cohort of children born in Manitoba, Canada, between 2000 and 2009.

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Changes in out of home care and permanence planning among young children in Scotland, 2003 to 2017

Ruth Woods, Gillian Henderson - Adoption & Fostering, 03 Sep 2018

The current study addressed gaps in evidence of growing early intervention in the form of out of home care through a comparison of two samples of children in Scotland: 110 children born in 2003 and 117 born in 2013, all of whom were placed under compulsory measures of supervision prior to three years of age.

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An analysis of Ofsted inspection reports for children's social care services in England

Rick Hood, David Nilsson, & Ruth Habibi - Child & Family Social Work, 02 Sep 2018

This paper presents findings from an independent study of Ofsted inspections into children's social care in England, covering reports under three inspection frameworks during the period 2009 to 2016.

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Raising the Children of the Opioid Epidemic: Solutions and Support for Grandfamilies

Generations United, 01 Sep 2018

This report from Generations United provides data on the opioid crisis in the US, and its impact on grandfamilies, and offers policy and program recommendations related to recently passed legislation - the Family First Prevention Services Act and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act.

Executive Summary: Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’S Child Protection Programme in Cambodia (Khmer Language)

UNICEF Cambodia, 01 Sep 2018

The objective of this evaluation was to provide evidence that can help strengthen performance and accountability with UNICEF’s work with the Royal Government of Cambodia and the myriad other authorities and organizations involved in child protection.

Tusla’s Programme for Prevention, Partnership and Family Support: Children’s Participation Work Package Final Report

Ms Edel Tierney, Dr Danielle Kennan, Dr Cormac Forkan, Dr Bernadine Brady, and Ms Rebecca Jackson - UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, 01 Sep 2018

This evaluation study focuses on the implementation of and the outcomes from the Programme for Prevention, Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) programme, a programme of action being undertaken by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency of Ireland.

Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’S Child Protection Programme in Cambodia Volume 1

Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton, Kara Apland, Elizabeth Yarrow & Dr Anna Mackin, with support provided by Soksan Tem & Phally Keo, on behalf of Coram International - UNICEF Cambodia, 01 Sep 2018