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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The Relationship between Institutional Care and the International Adoption of Children in Europe

Shihning Chou and Kevin Browne, 07 Mar 2008

Explores causal relationship between increased international adoption and increase in institutional care of children in Europe.

Ghana Regulations for Care and Protection: Residential Care as a Last Resort (draft)

Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Government of Ghana , 20 Feb 2008

These standards were drafted as part of a reform initiative programme in Ghana to ensure that institutional care is used as a last resort

Special Series - UN Draft Guidlelines for the Appropriate Use and Conditions of Alternative Care for Children

International Social Service, 01 Feb 2008

International Social Service’s first segment of the series addresses the historical background and the principles and objectives of the Guidelines

Adoption: At What Cost? For an Ethical Responsibility of Receiving Countries in Intercountry Adoption

Terre des hommes, 01 Feb 2008

A comparative study on the ethical responsibility of receiving countries of intercountry adoption.

IREX/Assistance to Russian Orphans (ARO) Program News and Updates, February 2008

IREX/ARO, 01 Feb 2008

Update on all recent seminars and activities relevant to child welfare reform and deinstitutionalization in Russia

Keeping Children Safe: How to Implement the Standards

Keeping Children Safe Coalition, 2008

The second tool in the Keeping Children Safe Toolkit which is a resource pack that provides guidance and activities to organisations ing meeting established standards

Report of Rapid Assessment and Analysis of Vulnerabilities Facing Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children and Youth (OVCY), and the Quality of OVCY Projects and Programmes in SADC

SADC Secretariat, 2008

This study sought to assess, analyse and inform the different forms of vulnerabilities affecting children and youth, and their effects and existing strategies and programmes addressing the challenges and vulnerabilities facing orphans, vulnerable children and youth (OVCY) in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region. The study also sought to propose recommendations for improvement, and development of minimum standards for OVCY and the finalisation of the SADC OVCY Strategic Framework.

Western Australia: Better Care, Better Services- Standards for Children and Young People in Protection and Care

Kay Johnson, 2008

This document sets forth key standards through which child and youth protection, particularly in regards to foster care, will be approached in Western Australia.