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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Undocumented and Underage: The Crisis of Migrant Children

VICE, 23 Mar 2017

In this video from VICE, undocumented children face danger attempting to cross the border into the U.S. from Mexico. Those who end up in detention live in squalid, prison-like conditions.

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A Series on Alternative Care: Standards of Care in Child Care Institutions

Udayan Care and UNICEF, 01 Feb 2017

This booklet on standards of care in child care institutions is part of a Series on Alternative Care covering the latest legal and policy framework on Alternative Care in India, which has been presented in an easy-to-understand style so that they can be used as an effective reference material by all the stakeholders.

What is known about the placement and outcomes of siblings in foster care?

Sarah Meakings, Judy Sebba and Nikki Luke - Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, University of Oxford, 01 Feb 2017

This review of the international research examines what is known about the placement of siblings in foster care.

Practice Notes: Barriers to Traumatic Stress Screening in Child Welfare Settings

Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, 2017

These Practice Notes highlight the common barriers to traumatic stress screening in child welfare settings.

A World that Cares: How to Support Children without Parental Care through the Sustainable Development Goals

Gillian Huebner - SOS Children's Villages , 2017

This briefing describes how the needs of children without parental care can be addressed through five of the SDGs: no poverty (1); quality education (4); decent work and economic growth (8); reduced inequalities (10); and peace, justice and strong institutions (16).

Caring for Separated Children: New Guidelines Call for Reintegration as a First Response

Inter-agency group on children's reintegration, 07 Sep 2016

This document is a statement in support of the Guidelines on Children's Reintegration.

Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems

Steven D. Cohen - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 22 Aug 2016

This paper explores the ways that developmental science can inform and strengthen the child welfare system to better support the children, families, and communities it serves.

Country Care Review: Slovakia

Better Care Network , 17 May 2016

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Country Care Review: Lithuania

Better Care Network, 11 May 2016

This country care review includes the Concluding Observations for the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

A Better Future is Possible: Promoting Family Life for Children with Disabilities in Residential Care - Manual for Professionals

International Social Service, 2016

This manual provides guidance to professionals who work with children with disabilities in residential care.