Standards of Care

Standards of care are approved criteria for measuring and monitoring the management, provision and quality of child care services and their outcomes. Such standards are required for all child care provision, including day care, kinship, foster and institutional care.

Standards should be concrete and observable sets of indicators which describe what good practice means in terms of outcomes for the child, how a service should be delivered, and the actions required by staff. They should be guided by the rights and best interests of the child, the preservation of the family, and the promotion of the child’s development.

Standards of care should be in line with national child care and protection policies, and reflect international standards for children’s rights. The development, monitoring and evaluation of standards should be participatory, and reflect the views of children and families who are using the services.

Standards should give indicators relating to all aspects of child care from the child’s physical and emotional well-being to staff and organisational procedures. This includes the child’s diet, access to health and education, and play and recreational facilities. Standards should outline the methods of care and control, and ensure that services are accessible and promote the child’s health. Standards should specify the rights of children to privacy, informed choices, dignity and respect. Standards relating to staff should include recruitment and selection procedures, regular supervision, support, and training. Procedural standards include the maintenance of records, respect for confidentiality, and accountability mechanisms.

The literature in this section focuses on examples of organisational standards for child care provision.

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Code of Ethics for Child and Youth Care Workers in South Africa - Video

National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers, South Africa, 30 Apr 2015

This video provides instruction on the code of ethics and other standards of care for those who work in the field of Child and Youth Care.

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Country Care Review: Germany

Better Care Network, 17 Apr 2015

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Alternative Care for Children in Uganda

Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development, Uganda , 20 Feb 2015

This easy to use resource from the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development in Uganda, in consultation with civil society, outlines a continuum of care framework for responding to vulnerable children.

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Manual del Estudiante, Módulo Número 1 Enfocado en: Valores, conocimientos y habilidades interpersonales para la Protección de Niñez y Adolescencia

Jini Roby, Semillas de Esperanza Guatemala de Buckner Internacional y la Escuela de Estudios Judiciales, del Organismo Judicial de Guatemala, 04 Feb 2015

Este taller está diseñado para entrenar los expertos técnicos en los valores y principios básicos involucrados en la labor del trabajo de Protección de Niñez y Adolescencia.

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Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children, 2015 - India

Ministry of Women and Child Development, India, 2015

These Guidelines govern the adoption procedure of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children in India, replacing the Guidelines Governing the Adoption of Children, 2011.

Interagency Child Protection Protocol: Anguilla

Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of Social Development, UNICEF, 2015

The Interagency Child Protection Protocol aims to offer guidance and support on good practices for the identification, reporting, investigation, case management, and prosecution of child abuse cases in Anguilla.

Strategies for Delivering Safe and Effective Foster Care: A Review of the Evidence for Those Designing and Delivering Foster Care Programmes

Ghazal Keshavarzian, Family for Every Child , 2015

This report from Family for Every Child begins to fill the gap in understanding on how to deliver effective, safe foster care programmes through an exploration of the literature and interviews with experts.

HOTĂRÎRE Nr. 441: pentru aprobarea Regulamentului-cadru privind organizarea şi funcţionarea Serviciului social Centrul de zi pentru copii în situaţie de risc şi a standardelor minime de calitate

Republic of Moldova, 2015

În scopul implementării prevederilor Legii asistenţei sociale nr.547-XV din 25 decembrie 2003 (Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, 2004, nr.42-44, art.249), cu modificările și completările ulterioare, Guvernul HOTĂRĂŞTE:

Aboriginal Cultural Connections: A Child Protection Resource Guide

Prince Edward Island Community Services and Seniors, 2015

This resource guide offers a fairly comprehensive guide to engaging with the Aboriginal community on Prince Edward Island, Canada. It includes a history of the use of residential schools for Aboriginal children, as well as a description of the widespread removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities for adoption placement in the 1960s through the 1980s.

The Application of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993 in Brazil

Marcos Vinicius Torres Pereira & Lara Oliveira Gonçalves - Panorama of Brazilian Law, 2015

This article talks about the application of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993 in Brazil.