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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Final Report from Wilton Park Conference, The Neglected Agenda: Protecting Children without Adequate Parental Care

Louise Melville Fulford , 30 Nov 2009

Policy recommendations and conclusions from November’s high level conference focused on gathering data, harnessing political will, strengthening systems, securing funding, and increasing public and political understanding regarding children without adequate parental care

Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children: A United Nations Framework

International Social Service (ISS) and SOS Children's Villages, 20 Nov 2009

This publication introduces the official text of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (General Assembly A/HRC/11/L.13) and provides questions for reflection on some of the key content areas outlined in the Guidelines.

Every child deserves a family: EveryChild's approach to children without parental care

Emily Delap , 01 Nov 2009

This document outlines EveryChild’s approach to the growing problem of children without parental care by defining key concepts, analysing the nature and extent of the problem, exploring factors which place children at risk of losing parental care, and examining the impact of a loss of parental care on children’s rights.

Policy and Analysis Tools for the Manual for the Measurement of Indicators for Children in Formal Care

Better Care Network and UNICEF Headquarters, 01 Sep 2009

Policy/analysis tools for manual to assist countries in strengthening their information system around children in formal care through data collection around 15 global indicators

Lobbying Factsheet for Adoption of UN Guidelines on Alternative Care

International Social Service and SOS-Kinderdorf International, 01 Sep 2009

Contains facts regarding children in alternative care globally as well as suggested lobbying activities for the promotion and adoption of the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care

Manual for the Measurement of Indicators for Children in Formal Care (Word Document)

Better Care Network and UNICEF Headquarters, 01 Sep 2009

Manual to assist countries in strengthening their information system around children in formal care through data collection around 15 global indicators

Manual for the Measurement of Indicators for Children in Formal Care.doc

Assessment of USAID Child Welfare Programs in Russia

Terra P Group , 13 May 2009

The child welfare programs, funded by USAID in Russia, were designed to pilot, disseminate, and help institutionalize modern child welfare services, particularly, child abandonment prevention and professional support of vulnerable children, child welfare institutions, and substitute families. This report reviews program results and sets out recommendations for future program design.

Developing Indicators for the Protection, Respect and Promotion of the Rights of the Child in the European Union

European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) , 01 Mar 2009

Outlines the development of a common set of indicators for EU member states to measure children's rights and collect data.

Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities in Namibia

Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare , 01 Mar 2009

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

Doing Better for Children: The Way Forward, Chapter 7

Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, 2009

This document is the seventh, and final, chapter of Doing Better for Children: The Way Forward, produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The aim of this chapter is to contribute to the policy debate on child well-being, synthesising the previous chapters and drawing on the existing research and policy literature.