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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Inequalities in English Child Protection Practice under Austerity: A Universal Challenge?

Paul Bywaters, Geraldine Brady, Lisa Bunting, Brigid Daniel, Brigid Featherstone, Chantel Jones, Kate Morris, Jonathan Scourfield, Tim Sparks, Calum Webb - Child and Family Social Work, 07 Jul 2017

This article focuses on the relationship between economic inequality and out-of-home care and child protection interventions in England.

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Country Care Review: Cameroon

Better Care Network, 06 Jul 2017

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child during the seventy-fifth session (15 May 2017 - 2 Jun 2017) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Country Care Review: Bhutan

Better Care Network , 05 Jul 2017

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child during the seventy-fifth session (15 May 2017 - 02 Jun 2017) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Looking after children in the UK – convergence or divergence?

Janice McGhee, Paul Bywaters, Lisa Bunting, Claire McCartan, Martin Elliott, and Brid Featherstone - British Journal of Social Work , 03 Jul 2017

This paper analyses comparative child welfare administrative data from each of the four jurisdictions of the UK over a ten-year period to examine rates and patterns of public care for children.

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Too Hard? Highly Vulnerable Teens in Tasmania

Catherine Robinson - Anglicare Tasmania, 02 Jul 2017

This report presents the findings of an investigation on a cohort of highly vulnerable teens (aged 10-17 years) whose needs for care have fallen outside families, between government agencies and between non-government services. The report identifies the gaps in care received by this cohort and offers key recommendations for how these gaps might be filled.

Country Care Review: Antigua and Barbuda

Better Care Network , 30 Jun 2017

The construction of child neglect in English-speaking countries: Children, risk and poor families

Jan Mason - Children and Youth Services Review, 28 Jun 2017

This article is an historical analysis of the association between interventions for neglect and attitudes to poverty in English speaking countries, with reference to specific countries by way of illustration.

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Ley 27364: Programa de acompañamiento para el egreso de jóvenes sin cuidados parentales

Gobierno de la República Argentina, 26 Jun 2017

La presente ley tiene por objeto la creación del Programa de Acompañamiento para el Egreso de Adolescentes y Jóvenes sin Cuidados Parentales a fin de garantizar su plena inclusión social y su máximo desarrollo personal y social.

Improving the effectiveness of the child protection system: Overview

Donna Molloy, Steve Barton and Lucy Brims - Early Intervention Foundation, 23 Jun 2017

This overview report provides a summary of key findings and lessons from five detailed research papers investigating what has proven to improve outcomes for children in the child protection system, what programs and services are delivered locally in the child protection system, and what is known about the overall effectiveness of the child protection system.

Country Care Review: Lebanon

Better Care Network , 22 Jun 2017