This Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities is the result of a participatory and consultative process with many of the people involved in alternative care in Namibia, including the children and young people themselves. It is a step forward that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare has undertaken for the care and protection of orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia.
Several consultative workshops were held between July and November 2008 with social workers and policy makers from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, relevant persons from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Legal Assistance Centre, the Ministry of Justice, and residential child care facilities in Caprivi, Kavango, Otjozondjupa, Khomas and Erongo Regions. The input from the field visits and interviews led to the development of a quality standards framework which was discussed in a two-day workshop in August 2008. Representatives of all stakeholders were invited to this event, including residential child care facility managers, caregivers, young people living in facilities, and representatives of the different ministries. Together the participants worked in groups to develop the standards and to identify the guidelines for how to achieve the standards. The consultants attached to Pact Namibia, together with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare’s Control Social Workers, refined the draft document further at a workshop held in Windhoek in October 2008. This was attended by majority of the regional social workers of the Ministry and key representatives of Namibian non-governmental organisations involved in the provision of alternative care. All comments made at this workshop are incorporated in this final version of the Standards.
This Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities in Namibia is designed to assist child care service providers, ministerial staff, social welfare partners, and other stakeholders concerned with the quality of child care, to establish, maintain and manage high quality care services for children in Namibia. It is also to be used by those who are responsible for the registration and monitoring of residential child care facilities in Namibia. Currently, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare is responsible for implementation of these Standards.
This document of the Standards is linked to two other documents developed as part of the process - a handbook for implementers containing further information on alternative care options, how-to-do advice and supporting materials and a child-friendly version presenting the Standards from a child’s perspective.
