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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Innocenti Research Brief – Parenting Interventions: How well do they transport from one country to another?

Frances Gardner - UNICEF, 01 Oct 2017

This brief summarizes recent findings from two global, systematic reviews on the effectiveness of parenting interventions.

Care Reform in Uganda: Timeline of System Achievements

MEASURE Evaluation and USAID , 15 Sep 2017

This infographic provides a historical timeline of the alternative care reform process in Uganda, marking key achievements in the establishment of policies, guidelines, procedures, and programs to improve the quality of care and protection for children without adequate family care.

Care Reform in Moldova: Timeline of System Achievements

MEASURE Evaluation & USAID, 15 Sep 2017

This infographic provides a historical timeline of the alternative care reform process in Moldova, marking key achievements in the establishment of policies, guidelines, procedures, and programs to improve the quality of care and protection for children without adequate family care.

Care Reform in Ghana: Timeline of System Achievements

MEASURE Evaluation and USAID, 15 Sep 2017

This infographic provides a historical timeline of the alternative care reform process in Ghana, marking key achievements in the establishment of policies, guidelines, procedures, and programs to improve the quality of care and protection for children without adequate family care.

Structural Challenges of Holiday Placement Programmes for Children in SOS'S Children Village, Zimbabwe

Taruvinga Muzingili & Patience Gunha - African Journal of Social Work, 11 Sep 2017

This study observed the challenges experienced by children living in SOS Children's Village Bindura, Zimbabwe during a Community Holiday Visit Programme.

Successes and challenges in developing trauma-informed child welfare systems: A real-world case study of exploration and initial implementation

Becci A. Akin, Jessica Strolin-Gotzmna, and Crystal Collines-Camargo - Children and Youth Services Review, 06 Sep 2017

This paper describes and analyzes the implementation of trauma and evidence-informed interventions in three federally-funded statewide demonstration sites in different regional contexts throughout the United States.

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Good practices in case management: How your OVC program can be ready for a Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) Assessment

Kelley Bunkers & Tom Ventimiglia - 4Children/CRS, 01 Sep 2017

This guide has been written in order to assist OVC program personnel to understand key terms and concepts used in the Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) Community Tool, specifically the section on case management services for OVC.

Draft National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres

Health Information and Standards Directorate , 01 Sep 2017

Ireland's Health Information and Standards Directorate has launched a public consultation on the Draft National Standards on Children's Residential Care. Once finalized, the Standards will provide a framework for the ongoing development of child-centred and effective services for children living in residential care centres. This document contains the preceding Draft Standards, eligible for feedback through 02 November 2017.

Care-criminalisation: The involvement of children in out-of-home care in the New South Wales criminal justice system

Kath McFarlane - Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 08 Aug 2017

This article describes the findings of a four-year study with a cohort of children in out-of-home care in New South Wales and their experiences with the criminal justice system.

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Best Practices for Residential/Institutional/Group Care of Children: A Harm Reduction Framework

Victor Groza & Kelley McCreery Bunkers - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This paper utilizes a harm-reduction framework to present best practices for improving residential care and reducing the negative effects residential care can have on children's development.

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