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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Evidence-Based Practice in Child Protection Services: Do We Have Time for This?

Ulene Shiller, Marianna Strydom - Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 2018

This paper focuses on how the Family Assessment for Least Developed Countries (FA-LDC) instrument can be used as evidenced-based practice to assist social workers in statutory investigations.

Baseline Research Report: Project for the Protection of Migrant Children Along the AbidjanLagos Corridor (CORAL)

Dr Neil Howard, Dr Mélanie Jacquemin, Dr Dorte Thorsen - Terre des hommes- Lausanne, the AMWCY and ENDA, 2018

The present document constitutes the baseline report for the Project for the Protection of Migrant children along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (CORAL), undertaken primarily as a situation analysis able to guide future programming.

Five Steps to a Stronger Child Welfare Workforce

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2018

This publication outlines five clear steps that child welfare agency leaders in the United States can take to build and maintain a strong, stable frontline workforce.

HOTĂRÎRE Nr. HG143/2018: pentru aprobarea Instrucţiunii cu privire la mecanismul de cooperare intersectorială pentru prevenirea primară a riscurilor privind bunăstarea copilului

Republic of Moldova, 2018

În scopul executării art. 20 lit. c) din Legea nr. 140 din 14 iunie 2013 privind protecţia specială a copiilor aflaţi în situaţie de risc şi a copiilor separaţi de părinţi (Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, 2013, nr. 167-172, art.

Reimagining Child Welfare Systems in Canada

Janet Mosher & Jeffery Hewit - Journal of Law and Social Policy, 2018

This article introduces Volume 28 of the Journal of Law and Social Policy which focuses on racism and overrepresentation of indigenous and ethnic minority children and youth in the social welfare systems.

Effects of the homecare assistance program on maternal and child protection services

Thomas Saïas, Caroline Clavel, Julie Bodard - Santé Publique, 2018

Through a qualitative survey, this study aimed at evaluating the effect of the implementation of the French Ministry of Health's PRADO program over the Maternal and child protection services (“PMI”) structure and home visitation intervention.

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Shedding Light on the Protective Regime for Unaccompanied Minors Under the Family Reunification Directive: The Case of A and S

Nicolosi, S. - European Papers, 2018

This paper aims to investigate the protection framework established by the Family Reunification Directive for refugees who are unaccompanied minors.

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Child Protection Area of Responsibility Annual Survey 2018

Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR), 2018

This document presents findings from a survey carried out by the global level Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) to track trends and progress in child protection coordination & determine ways the CP AoR can better support field-based coordination.

Modelo de Cuidados Alternativos Aplicables en la República de Guatemala

María Matilde Luna - USAID, 2018

El Modelo de cuidados alternativos contenido en este documento se presenta en una coyuntura social en la que el Estado y la sociedad civil de Guatemala enfrentan el desafío de un cambio necesario.

Due Diligence Guidelines

ACCI Relief, 2018

The purpose of these guidelines is to equip you with a tool that helps you build a sound understanding of an organisation so that you can make a well-informed decision about whether or not to establish a partnership with them. The check can also reveal to you other ways in which you can support the project achieve it’s goals – that may be helping them access additional training for the staff, sending your accountant to help them set up good cash management systems or providing the funding for them to hire an experienced staff member.