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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Recent developments in law and policy affecting children

Paula Proudlock and Stefanie Rohrs - South African Child Gauge 2018, 20 Nov 2018

This chapter from the South African Child Gauge 2018 reviews the latest developments in law and policy affecting children in South Africa.

A Quick Guide to the New 2018 Guidelines on Assessing and Determining the Best Interests of the Child (BIP Guidelines)

UNHCR, 01 Nov 2018

The BIP Guidelines combine a conceptual framework of the best interests of the child with field-driven, operational guidance to provide one consolidated, practical frame of reference for staff and partners in the field. This document provides a guide to the 2018 updated Guidelines, including what's new, why they were revised, and what's next.

Guidelines on Assessing and Determining the Best Interests of the Child 2018

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 01 Nov 2018

These updated UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Guidelines provide guidance on determining the best interests of the child in decisions affecting children at risk, in particular children who are separated from their parents and families.

Country Care Review: Philippines

Better Care Network , 16 Oct 2018

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.

Ghana Department of Social Welfare Foster Care Operational Manual

UNICEF Ghana, Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, 01 Oct 2018

The purpose of this Foster Care Operational Manual is to provide guidance to Department of Social Welfare (DSW) officers and Foster Care Agencies on the delivery of foster care services in line with the Children’s Amendment Act, 2016 and Foster Care Regulations 2018.

Aftercare of children in alternative care: An analysis of the international and national legal framework from the prism of human rights

Khan Saif Rasul - Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 06 Sep 2018

This study from the Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond Special Issue on Aftercare is aimed at studying the concept of aftercare from the prism of human rights and the international framework in context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN resolution, Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Furthermore, the research is aimed at analysing the legal provisions and standards provided within the Indian legal system and how far it is attuned to the international standards.

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Alternative Care and Children’s Rights

Kirsten Sandberg - International Human Rights of Children, 13 Aug 2018

In this chapter children’s rights and state obligations in relation to alternative care are presented, with reference to the UN Alternative Care Guidelines and the general comments and concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

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Children in Need of Care and Protection: Standard Operating Procedures

Government of Ghana, 01 Jun 2018

These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) describe guiding principles, procedures, roles and responsibilities in the prevention of and response to child protection for children residing within Ghana.

Country Care Review: Slovenia

Better Care Network, 16 Apr 2018

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, as well as other care-related concluding observations, ratification dates, and links to the Universal Periodic Review and Hague Intercountry Adoption Country Profile.

3rd Biennial International Conference Report: Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia

Udayan Care, 01 Apr 2018

This is the report of the 3rd Biennial International Conference (3rd BICON) on “Evolving Trends in Alternative Care for Children in South Asia” that was convened by Udayan Care on March 16 & 17, 2018 at Amity University, Noida NCR (India).