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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Scotland: National Care Standards: Adoption Agencies

Scottish Executive, 2005

A set of standards guiding services for children who have been adopted, birth families, and adoptive parents.

The Ethics of Needs Assessments in Disaster Situations: Ensuring that Your Needs Assessments Interventions Do Not Cause Harm

Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 2005

Lists ethical “do’s and dont's” specific to Consultants/Advisors, Managers/Supervisors, and Field-Level Workers arranging and conducting Needs Assessments in disaster situations.

Scotland: National Care Standards: Foster Care and Family Placement Services

Scottish Executive, 2005

Serves as an example of fostering service standards from the perspective of children, birth families, and foster caregivers

Romania: Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers for Children With Disabilities

Romania National Authority for Child Protection and Adoption, 2005

Outlines minimum standards for the operation of a day care center for children with disabilities in Romania.

Promising Practices in Community-Based Social Services in CEE/CIS/Baltics

Rebecca T. Davis, 2005

Provides a framework for analysis of community-based social welfare services and linkages with government structures. Includes analysis of alternative care provision, de-institutionalization, programming for children with disabilities, standards of care, and overall social welfare sector reform.

Scotland: National Care Standards: Care Homes for Children and Young People

Scottish Executive, 2005

A set of standards for residential settings, including the young person’s welcome into care, the quality of care they should receive, contact arrangements, and listening and responding to the views of young people.

Romania: Minimum Standards for Child Day Care Centers

Romania National Authority for Child Protection and Adoption, 2005

Minimum standards for day care centers in Romania.

Raising the Standards: Quality Child Care Provision in East and Central Africa

Save the Children Fund, 2005

A set of standards and indicators to guide staff and agencies in the provision of a minimum standard of care for children. The standards apply across a range of care settings and cover the delivery and administration of child care services, staff and caregiver competence, and the quality of care children should expect to receive.