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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Better Care Network, 06 Jun 2012

The People’s Republic of China issued its third and fourth combined report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in June 2012. This extract of the report focuses on sections relevant to children's care and in particular those addressing Family Environment and Alternative Care

Namibia: Standards for Foster Care Services

Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Government of Republic of Namibia, 01 Jun 2012

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW) of Namibia released the 2012 Foster Care Standards and Guidelines which are aimed to guide social workers and other service providers in recruiting, assessing, training, matching, supporting, supervising and monitoring foster care services. The Foster Care Guidelines assist in translating the Standards into day-to-day practices. These Standards and Guidelines with accompanying training manuals were prepared to strengthen supported family-based care for vulnerable and marginalized children.

Webinar on the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (In FRENCH)

Better Care Network , 08 May 2012

On May 2, 2012, in preparation of the Family Strengthening and Alternative Care Conference for Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa in Dakar, Senegal, BCN and the regional planning committee convened experts and practitioners to present and discuss the efforts to implement the Guidelines for the Alternative Care in the region. Watch this video for presentations, country level experience from Togo, and discussions on the pressing issues facing implementation in the region.

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Investing in Malawi's National Child Protection System to support national social protection goals: The Business Case

UNICEF Malawi , 02 May 2012

The paper argues that investing in Malawi’s emerging national child protection system will support national social protection goals. The Government is bringing together its various responses to child protection and orphans and vulnerable children as the foundation on which to build the national child protection system, with the intention of delivering a coordinated, harmonised and systematic approach to protecting children from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Thari Ya Bana: Reflections on Children in Botswana 2011

University of Botswana and UNICEF , 02 May 2012

Collection of research and reflections on children’s issues in Botswana articles in the various chapters of the publication have been structured to follow the life cycle of the child as she or he grows and is faced with different issues that need to be addressed: young child survival; child development; child protection; HIV and AIDS; and child-sensitive social protection.

The Fifth Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95, The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005

PL 109.95 Secretariat , 02 May 2012

The Fifth Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95, The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 highlights continued efforts made by the U.S. Government to improve coordination on behalf of vulnerable children in the past year.

Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children

Nigel Cantwell for SOS Children's Villages International , 01 May 2012

SOS Children's Villages has produced an assessment tool for the implementation of the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. It has been designed to support the advocacy activities of SOS Children's Villages. The tool’s main focus is to measure a state’s obligations under the UNCRC, in providing quality care arrangements for all children who have lost parental care and those families at risk of separation

Children Without Appropriate Care Top Ten Resources

Save the Children, 01 May 2012

This ‘Top Ten Resources’ document lists the currently most relevant materials on Child Protection, as identified by Save the Children’s Child Protection Initiative (CPI).

Explaining the Continued Presence of Orphanages in Battambang Province, Cambodia

KCD-Hart Fellows Program Collaboration , 01 Apr 2012

This qualitative research study seeks to better understand some of the reasons for residential care expansion in the province of Battambang, Cambodia. The study aims to identify why children are sent to orphanages and understand the attitudes of those stakeholders who are influencing the rise in institutions in the province.

Zambia: Adolescent Health Strategic Plan 2011-2015

Republic of Zambia - Ministry of Health, 01 Apr 2012

The national Adolescent Health Strategic Plan 2011 to 2015 (ADH-SP 2011- 2015) for Zambia, seeks to outline the strategic framework for promoting the planning, organization and delivery of appropriate, accessible, efficient and effective Adolescent Friendly Health Services (ADFHS) throughout the country.