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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New Directions in Children’s Welfare

Sharon Pinkney, 2018

This book makes a distinctive contribution to reflections on what child-centred practice means in the complex area of child welfare.

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The Long View: Has Anything Really Improved for Children and Families Involved with Child Welfare over 3 Decades?

Moira Szilagyi - Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 2018

This paper reflects on: what’s better or not after 30 years; whether legislation and financing are aligned with child welfare’s goals of safety, permanency and well-being; and what remains to be done to improve the outcomes of children and youth in foster care or otherwise involved with child welfare.

Situation Analysis of Children in Rwanda

UNICEF Rwanda, 2018

This situation analysis provides a timely assessment of progress for children, achievements to date, and remaining challenges and barriers to the realization of children’s rights in Rwanda.

Implicit Racial Bias 101: Exploring Implicit Bias in Child Protection

Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, 2018

This online course on implicit bias was developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity to aid practitioners in understanding and addressing racial bias in the US child protection system.

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Chapter 6: At the Borders of Italian Local Welfare. Unaccompanied Refugee Children in South Italy: Between Persistence and Changes in Politics and Policies

Emanuela Chiodo - Refugee Education: Integration and Acceptance of Refugees in Mainstream Society (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Volume 11) , 2018

The chapter presents a critical analysis of the reception system for non-asylum seeking unaccompanied migrant children in Calabria, a region of South Italy.

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In Limbo: Exploring income and housing barriers for reunifying Tasmanian families

Lindsey Fidler - Anglicare Tasmania, Social Action and Research Centre, 2018

This report looks at the nature and extent of the income and housing challenges faced by Tasmanian families who have had children removed by Child Safety Services, and the impacts those challenges may have on positive family reunification outcomes.

Guidelines for Child Protection Case Management and Referral in Kenya

Republic of Kenya, 2018

The guidelines for Case Management and Referral for Child Protection Systems in Kenya is a reference material to guide different actors on how to carry out comprehensive case management and referral and defines the role of the government, civil society organizations, the communities, the family and the child to complement each other.

Child Migrants Along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (CORAL) – a Child Protection Programme in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria

Dorte Thorsen, University of Sussex - Terre des hommes- Lausanne, ENDA and the African Movement of Working Children and Youth , 2018

This research brief is based on a baseline study carried out in the first phase of the Child Migrants Along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (CORAL) project to help identify situated approaches to implementation, drawing evidence from all five countries but aiming for locally specific actions and solutions.

A Fractured System: Is it Time for New Programming within the Child Protection Services?

Kayla McLaughlin, Kaley Greenman, Dr. Cindy Greenman - Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, 2018

This article explores current child protection services and programs in the United States and offers suggestions for development of new child protection programming to further meet the needs of vulnerable children.

Policies and Procedures: Child safeguarding policy 2018

Save the Children South Africa, 2018

This document includes protocols, procedures and guidelines for anyone within Save the Children South Africa to prevent and respond to child protection concerns when they arise.