From December 2007 to August 2010, Save the Children UK implemented a project intended to improve the quality of child protection systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to reduce overall vulnerability and poverty for children receiving services within those systems. In the early stages of the project, two working groups were established to develop the standards for child protection within Bosnia and Herzegovina. After completing the assessment phase and identifying priority needs in the field, the working groups identified five areas within child protection to focus on: 1.) Foster care services for children without parental care, 2.) Institutional care services for children without parental care, 3.) Services of children’s villages, 4.) Day center services for children and youth with developmental disabilities, and 5.) Standards for early detection of children with developmental disabilities. Minimum standards were developed, piloted, and refined for each of the five priority areas.
This report focuses on the minimum standards developed for child placement in foster care in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within the report are specific and measureable minimum standards for centers providing foster care services, staff and social workers, and foster families. A user-friendly instrument for reporting and monitoring compliance with standards is also included.
