One of the three new programme priorities of the Bernard van Leer Foundation is to help strengthen the care environment of the child. It does this through a stronger focus of its grantmaking on work that (1) supports parents and caregivers who are raising children in environments of stress, (2) helps parents and caregivers in their role of assuring children’s rights and development and (3) addresses the needs of children without parental care.
The importance of the family in a child’s life cannot be overstated as the article on “How poverty separates children and parents” (page 23) indicates. More fundamentally, the Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises the importance of the family in children’s lives. Its preamble notes that “the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and wellbeing of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities” and “the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, and atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.”
But how can the most appropriate use of alternative care be ensured? The Convention of the Rights of the Child (art. 3) says that, in principle, responses should always take into account the best interest of the child. Reality, though, shows that this does not always happen – the frequency with which serious problems are reported regarding care for children in informal or formal fostering (such as kinship care, adoption and residential facilities) suggests that alternative care measures should be better monitored.
In the articles of this issue of Early Childhood Matters we point to the lack of clear guidelines for providing adequate care, and we give suggestions on how to improve existing mechanisms.
©Bernard van Leer Foundation
