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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Lesotho: Guidelines & Standards: Residential Care For Vulnerable Children & Youth

UNICEF, 2006

A situational analysis of policy and care surrounding children affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho. Includes a comprehensive, practice-oriented discussion of alternatives to residential care, placement procedures and standards of residential care.

Treatment Family Foster Care: Its History and Current Role

Martha Morrison Dore & Deborah Mullin, 2006

This document provides an overview of the evolution of treatment family foster care in the US for youth with emotional or behavioral disorders, as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization or long-term residential treatment.

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Scotland: National Care Standards. Childcare Agencies

Scottish Executive, 2006

A set of standards for agencies that provide child care/day care services within the family home e.g. nannies, child minders, and babysitters.

A Child Protection System in Mongolia

Andy West - International Save the Children Alliance, 2006

Examines barriers to the development of a child protection system in Mongolia. Recommendations stress the need to develop integrated child protection as an essential service comprising a dedicated national agency and appropriate legal frameworks.

Provisional Protective Measures: The Principles to Be Observed During the Institutionalization of a Child (2 of 3)

International Social Service and International Reference Center for the Rights of Children Deprived of their Family (ISS/IRC), 2006

A brief 2-page overview of appropriate residential institution characteristics. Includes information on staffing, and the optimum size of each family-like unit.

Consultancy on the Establishment of Foster Care Regulations and Minimum Operating Standards for Insitutional Care of Children in Guyana

Andrew Dunn and John Parry-Williams - UNICEF, 2006

Detailed guidelines for the establishment of the Child Protection Service (CPS), designed to address the lack of regulations concerning standards in children’s institutions and the lack of departmental policy and procedures for assessing and assisting abused and at-risk children. Includes comprehensive set of CPS forms in 14 annexes.

UNHCR Guidelines on Formal Determinations of the Best Interests of the Child

UNHCR, 2006

Guidelines for when and how to make a decision regarding the best interests of the child in the case of emergencies. Includes useful information for addressing unaccompanied and separated children including, temporary and alternative care arrangements, tracing and reunification, and child participation.

Keeping Children Safe. Standards for Child Protection: TOOL 1

Keeping Children Safe Coalition, 2006

A set of basic standards for organizations to implement in order to fulfill their responsibilities in safeguarding children from abuse and exploitation

Provisional Protective Measures: The Principles to be Observed During the Institutionalization of a Child (3 of 3)

International Social Service and International Reference Center for the Rights of Children Deprived of their Family (ISS/IRC), 2006

A brief 2-page document that highlights the importance of child participation, post care planning, guarding against abuse, and connecting residential institutions with the surrounding community.

Emerging Practices in Community-Based Services for Vulnerable Groups: A Study of Social Services Delivery Systems in Europe and Eurasia

Rebecca T. Davis, 2006

Examines the transition from residential care to family-based, community care models in five European / Eurasian countries.