Facilitating global exchange around children without adequante family care. Promoting appropriate responses.

BCN Initiatives

Better Care Network Advocacy

Research and experience show that families and communities under considerable strain (whether from HIV/AIDS or other health problems, income or other forms of poverty, conflict, etc.) find ways to cope with the growing numbers of children in need of care. Traditional family and community coping mechanisms, however, need support to ensure children have access to basic services, and are protected from exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Similarly, caretakers need to be supported in ways that encourage and stimulate quality care for children. Institutions, including orphanages, should be avoided, as this type of care is often detrimental to children's well-being and is far more expensive than supporting children in families. Families and communities are the first line of defense for children, and the only sustainable option. Community-based monitoring mechanisms, supported by government departments responsible for social welfare, education, health and justice, are needed to guard against abuse, exploitation and neglect. And in all cases, the best interests of the child are paramount.

When formal care is in the best interest of a child, family and community-based options (foster care, guardianship, small residential facilities that are connected with the community, in-country adoption) should be developed and prioritized. The Better Care Network advocates for the development of appropriate standards and guidelines for formal care, and the training and resources that are needed to ensure they are adhered to.

The Better Care Network has an active working group on advocacy, which has opened up constructive dialogue with faith-based partners, bi-lateral organizations and non- governmental organizations on these issues. Advocacy meetings and consultations are convened wherever appropriate and possible. In addition, the Network is developing a paper that outlines the range of alternative care options that should be in place for children. To learn more about some of the advocacy work, and how it relates to the Network's structure, visit the advisory group page, or contact us.

International Guidelines for Children Without Parental Care

A first draft of the guidelines was developed by the NGO working group on children without parental care, based in Geneva, at the request of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF and International Social Service have been closely involved in the drafting process. The Better Care Network's advisory group reviewed and commented on the guidelines. Young people have also been included in the consultations, providing valuable insight into matters that affect them.

In May, 2006, the draft guidelines were submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee reviewed and strengthened the guidelines in preparation for informal technical review by UN member states.

In August, 2006 the Brazilian government hosted an inter-governmental meeting of technical experts to further refine and strengthen the guidelines. The two-day meeting, held in Brasilia, drew over 40 governments representing all the regions of the world. The meeting was extremely positive. Amongst other developments, a 15-country review board was established at the meeting to facilitate further revisions.

The international guidelines seek to ensure that, on the one hand, children do not find themselves in out-of-home care unnecessarily and, on the other, out-of-home care provided is of a type and quality that corresponds to the rights and specific needs of the child concerned. They are designed to promote, facilitate and guide the progressive implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in this particular area of concern. The non-binding Guidelines, ultimately for adoption by the United Nations General Assembly, address not only governments but also international bodies and organisations, civil society, professionals, voluntary organisations and the private sector to the extent that they are directly or indirectly involved with organising, providing or monitoring out-of-home care for children.

If you would like to learn more about the International Guidelines for Children Without Parental Care, please contact us. We will post developments on this page as they become available.

Monitoring Guide for Children in Formal Care

Outside of countries in the industrialized world, there is little reliable and consistent country-by-country data on the number of children in formal care, why they were placed there, when their case was last reviewed, whether they have a surviving parent, etc. In an effort to stimulate the collection of this data, the Better Care Network will be publishing a monitoring guide for children in formal care, which will contain a set of indicators, and details about how to collect data against each. The monitoring guide will likely be ready at the end of 2006, at which point it will be widely distributed to governments and relevant agencies and organizations. To learn more about the Monitoring Guide for Children in Formal Care, please contact us.