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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Child-Friendly Standards and Guidelines for the Recovery and Integration of Trafficked Children

International Labor Organization, 2006

Standards for shelters and care providers responding to children who have been trafficked. It gives guidance and practice examples of intake procedures, interim and longer term care, support services, integration and reunification

Selected Resource Material Concerning Children and Families Affected by HIV/AIDS

John Williamson, 2006

An updated list of literature and bibliographies concerning children and families affected by HIV/AIDS around the world. Most of the resources are focused on sub-Saharan Africa.

Provisional Protective Measures: The Principles to Be Observed During the Institutionalization of a Child (1 of 3)

International Social Service and International Reference Center for the Rights of Children Deprived of their Family (ISS/IRC), 2006

A brief 2-page overview of what steps should be taken if and when a social worker or other community worker admits a child to a residential institution.

Overview of the Debate on Children Without Parental Care and Possible Models of Care

Annemiek van Voorst, 2006

Detailed examination of debate over institutional and alternative care methods for children without parental care. Includes comprehensive framework for collective action.

A Rapid Assessment of Children's Homes in post-Tsunami Aceh

Florence Martin and Tata Sudrajat, 2006

Examines institutional and family care in post-Tsunami Indonesia. Includes situational analysis, key issues, and recommendations.

Guidelines on the Protection of Child Victims of Trafficking. UNICEF Technical Notes

UNICEF , 2006

General principles for the protection of trafficked children. Guidance is given on identification, appointment of a guardian, registration, interim care, case assessment, durable solutions, access to justice, costs, and research issues.

Lesotho: Guidelines & Standards: Residential Care For Vulnerable Children & Youth

UNICEF, 2006

A situational analysis of policy and care surrounding children affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho. Includes a comprehensive, practice-oriented discussion of alternatives to residential care, placement procedures and standards of residential care.

Treatment Family Foster Care: Its History and Current Role

Martha Morrison Dore & Deborah Mullin, 2006

This document provides an overview of the evolution of treatment family foster care in the US for youth with emotional or behavioral disorders, as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization or long-term residential treatment.

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Scotland: National Care Standards. Childcare Agencies

Scottish Executive, 2006

A set of standards for agencies that provide child care/day care services within the family home e.g. nannies, child minders, and babysitters.

A Child Protection System in Mongolia

Andy West - International Save the Children Alliance, 2006

Examines barriers to the development of a child protection system in Mongolia. Recommendations stress the need to develop integrated child protection as an essential service comprising a dedicated national agency and appropriate legal frameworks.