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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Can a Munro-Inspired Approach Transform the Lives of Looked after Children in England?

Martyn Higgins, Annabel Goodyer & Andrew Whittaker - Social Work Education: The International Journal , 01 Feb 2015

This paper discusses and examines the lessons learned from the Munro Review relevant for looked after children. The Munro Review provides an analysis of the current state of the child protection system, challenging bureaucratised practice and arguing for a reclaiming of professional social work identity, knowledge and understanding.

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The ‘Being and Doing’ Side of Our Behavior: Family Well-Being in a Time of Change

International Federation for Family Development , 01 Feb 2015

This paper provides a brief overview of basic family structures in EU countries and a description of family breakdown and its impact on children’s wellbeing.

Children, Violence and Democracy

Kiaras Gharabaghi and Ben Anderson-Nathe - Child & Youth Services , 01 Feb 2015

This editorial piece from the Child & Youth Services journal makes observations about the children who live away from home and their vulnerability to violence, the shift in the use of violence as a threat to democracy to its use as a defense of democracy, and the exclusion of young people from globalization.

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Children Left Behind: The Impact of Labor Migration in Moldova and Ukraine

Liza Yanovich - Migration Policy Institute , 23 Jan 2015

This article from the Migration Policy Institute examines the impact of labor migration on children who are left behind, from an economic and social lens, and with particular attention to gendered implications.

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Intercountry Adoption Agencies and the HCIA

Peter Selman, 22 Jan 2015

This report discusses concerns raised by participants of Thematic Area 3 (Intercountry Adoption Agencies and the HCIA) of the International Forum on Intercountry Adoption and Global Surrogacy held in August 2014.

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Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children

Carmen Solomon-Fears, Specialist in Social Policy - Congressional Research Service, 16 Jan 2015

This paper from the US Congressional Research Service provides an overview of fatherhood initiatives in the United States and includes brief evaluations of five of these initiatives.

Exploring Care and Protection Offered to OVCs in Care Institutions with Examples from South Africa and Botswana

Abigail Makuyana and S. M Kang’ethe - Journal of Social Sciences , 2015

This study has, through an immense literature review analysis explored: the role of OVC care institutions; policy environment of care and protection of OVCs; care of OVCs in institutional care in both South Africa and Botswana; and the experiences of OVCs in care institutions.

Aboriginal Cultural Connections: A Child Protection Resource Guide

Prince Edward Island Community Services and Seniors, 2015

This resource guide offers a fairly comprehensive guide to engaging with the Aboriginal community on Prince Edward Island, Canada. It includes a history of the use of residential schools for Aboriginal children, as well as a description of the widespread removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities for adoption placement in the 1960s through the 1980s.

Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children, 2015 - India

Ministry of Women and Child Development, India, 2015

These Guidelines govern the adoption procedure of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children in India, replacing the Guidelines Governing the Adoption of Children, 2011.

Early Childhood and family life: Guide of good practices for the right of young children to live in a family and a community - Spanish

RELAF and UNICEF, 2015

This Guide, written in Spanish, features a compilation of several social protection programs, services and public policies that resulted in the prevention of family breakdown and in the support of families and communities in caring and protecting their children. All these examples are taken from the Latin American region, Italy and Romania.