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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Child Abandonment and Its Prevention in Europe

The University of Nottingham, 2012

This comprehensive manual provides an overview of child abandonment and its prevention in Europe, exploring the extent of child abandonment, possible reasons behind this phenomenon, the consequences of abandonment, and good practices in terms of prevention. For the purposes of the EU Daphne-funded project, child abandonment is defined in two ways, namely open and secret abandonment. Country specific in-depth reviews of child abandonment and its prevention are provided for 10 countries and results from an EU-wide survey analyzed.

The Framework for The National Child Protection System for Kenya

National Council for Children's Services , 01 Nov 2011

This document contains the national framework for the child protection system in Kenya, developed with the intention of improving linkages between different sectors for more a more coordinated approach to protecting children.

BCN and Partners host event on Guidelines for Alternative Care at United Nations

BCN, 13 Oct 2011

In order to commemorate the two year anniversary of the resolution of the Alternative Care Guidelines, discuss the use and implementation of the Guidelines, and raise the profile of the importance of this international framework, the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations, in partnership with the Better Care Network, UNICEF, SOS and the NGO Committee on UNICEF Working Group on Children without Parental Care, held side-event during the UN Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee of the UN General Assembly.

Prakas on Procedures to Implement the Policy on Alternative Care for Children (Cambodia)

Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Kingdom of Cambodia, 01 Oct 2011

This Prakas is intended to define roles and responsibilities of relevant competent agencies and establish procedures, operational guides, and forms to implement the Policy on Alternative Care for Children.

All Children Count: A Baseline Study of Children in Institutional Care in Malawi

The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Community Development of Malawi; Centre for Social Research (CSR) of the University of Malawi; UNICEF Malawi, 31 Aug 2011

This study commissioned by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Community Development and financially and technically supported by UNICEF and the Better Care Network, describes the situation of children in institutional care in Malawi.

Standards and Guidelines for the Care, Support and Protection of Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation , 01 Aug 2011

This document provides minimum standards and guidelines for service providers who work with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Cambodia.

Nigerian National Guidelines on Standards of Practice for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Federal Ministry of Women's Affairs and Social Development , 31 Jan 2011

Guidelines developed to assure and improve the quality of services for the well being, protection and development of orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria

Minimum Package of Services for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children and Youth

Southern African Development Community, 2011

The Minimum Package is a guide to encourage the harmonizing of service delivery for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children and Youth (OVCY) across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Indonesia: National Standards of Care For Child Welfare Institutions

Ministry of Social Affairs the Republic of Indonesia , 2011

Indonesia’s National Standards of Care for Child Welfare Institutions is a crucial policy instrument, drafted in response to the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, regulating the provision of alternative care for children.

Adoption: UK National Minimum Standards

Department for Education, UK, 2011

This document contains the UK National Minimum Standards (NMS) applicable to the provision of adoption services.