Child Care and Protection Policies

Child care and protection policies regulate the care of children, including the type of support and assistance to be offered, good practice guidelines for the implementation of services, standards for care, and adequate provisions for implementation. They relate to the care a child receives at and away from home.

States and all organisations with child care programmes should have child care policies which are in line with national legislation and international law, e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In line with the CRC, emphasis should be placed on the child’s best interests, with support to families prioritised in order to prevent family separation. Good gatekeeping mechanisms are essential in ensuring families receive the services they need and are entitled to, and to guard against inappropriate placement into poor care arrangements.

Home-based care, day care, and other family support services are mechanisms for assisting families in providing for the child’s development and, when used appropriately, can prevent child separation. When a child is unable to remain at home, alternative forms of community based care should be prioritised, such as formal kinship care or foster care. The use of institutions should be highlighted as a last and temporary measure. All support and care provisions should outline the referral and admission process, the use of care plans, regular reviews, rehabilitation, and aftercare procedures.

Child protection legislation which recognises that abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, and may be carried out by parents, caretakers, children and other adults is required. All agencies working with children should have written child protection policies which respect the rights of the child. Policies should outline behaviours and actions which are unacceptable, provide standards for the appropriate care of children, and clear guidelines on what procedures to follow and by whom, including reporting mechanisms for suspected abuse to an assigned authority for investigation.

Child care and protection policies require resources and monitoring of standards to ensure their appropriate implementation. Adequate provision and training of child care and social work staff is required to deliver family support services and alternatives forms of child care. All staff working with children should be trained and supervised in providing appropriate care for children, identifying abuse, and responding appropriately.

The literature in this section contains country reports and examples of national and organisational child care and protection policies.

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Managementul De Caz Din Domeniul Protecției Copilului Și Familiei În Republica Moldova

Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), 21 Jul 2021

A fost efectuată atât analiza ghidurilor naționale cât și internaționale, a proceselor standard de operare, a instrumentelor și a materialelor pentru Managementul de caz (MC) pentru a identifica punctele forte și lacunele.

Government Digital Policies and Children’s Rights in Uruguay: An assessment framed by the UN CRC’s dimensions of provision, protection and participation

Soledad Magnone, 12 Jul 2021

This study consists of an analysis of government digital policies focused on children in Uruguay between 2009 and 2019. To facilitate this, the CRC was used as a framework to categorise key features of the principal strategies that have been implemented. It argues that while great advances have been made in terms of digital access, this has not been sufficiently accompanied with comprehensive and child-centred solutions that encompass regulations and children and adult digital education.

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Webinar Recording - Transforming Children's Care Webinar #4: Child's right to identity in alternative care

Transforming Children's Care Global Collaborative Platform, Child Identity, 01 Jul 2021

This webinar, the fourth in a series from the Transforming Children's Care Global Collaborative Platform, explored the importance of protecting the child’s right to identity in how it is created, how it may be modified and/or falsified in alternative care as well as the need to preserve information about the child’s identity, notably family relations.

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Financial redress for survivors of child abuse in care: Information note 11 - July 2021

Scottish Government, 01 Jul 2021

Update on administration and decision making work taking place since the The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill was passed by Parliament in March 2021.

Presentations: Residential Care Toolkit and Care Measurement in EU Region

UNICEF, Eurochild, 25 Jun 2021

These presentations from UNICEF and Eurochild were delivered during the June 25 2021 workshop of the Care Measurement Task Force. The focus of the workshop was the development of the residential care toolkit (led by UNICEF) and care measurement in the EU region.

Khmer: Prakas on Procedures to Implement Kinship Care and Foster Care

Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY) - Kingdom of Cambodia, 01 May 2021

The Goal of the Prakas is to ensure the best interests of the child and protect the basic rights of the child separated from his/her biological parents and receiving kinship or foster care, so that they are safe and thriving in a warm, loving and happy family environment.

Reconstructing Children’s Rights Conversation #2: Confronting Colonialism, Racism and Patriarchy in Child Welfare and Child Rights Programming

CPC Learning Network, 01 May 2021

The goal of the Reconstructing Children’s Rights Institute is to raise awareness and recognition of how racism, patriarchy, and power permeate the international child rights and child protection field. Building on Conversation #1, this session expands our political imagination by delving deeper into the international children’s rights and child protection space.

Prakas on Procedures to Implement Kinship Care and Foster Care

Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY) - Kingdom of Cambodia, 01 May 2021

This Prakas was drafted in accordance with Cambodia’s policies, standards and regulations to enable the implementation of kinship care and foster care. The Goal of the Prakas is to ensure the best interests of the child and protect the basic rights of the child separated from his/her biological parents and receiving kinship or foster care, so that they are safe and thriving in a warm, loving and happy family environment.

The rights movement of young people living in and leaving care in England between 1973 and 2011: A history from below

Mike Stein - Child & Family Social Work, 15 Apr 2021

This paper explores the history of the rights movement of young people in care in England between 1973 and 2011.

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The development of leaving care law, policy, and practice in India

Kiran Modi, Aneesha Wadhwa, Leena Prasad - Child & Family Social Work, 15 Apr 2021

This paper, based on an extensive desk review, chronologically examines the evolution of aftercare laws and practices in India along with the factors that contributed to the rise of institutional care.

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