La Strada Documentation Center

De-institutionalising and transforming children's services. A guide to good practice.

Document number
2618
Date
2010
Title
De-institutionalising and transforming children's services. A guide to good practice.
Author/publisher
European Commission, European Union
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Guidelines/Recommendations,
Keywords
Child Trafficking, Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, Best Interests Principle, Child Victims of Trafficking, Separated Migrant Children, Unaccompanied minors, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Child protection systems, Family reunification, Guardian, Family Tracing, Age Assessment, Freedom from Detention, Interim Care, Integration, Adoption,
Summary
Research and practice over sixty years demonstrates the harmful effects of institutionalisation upon children. The purpose of this document is to assist policy makers, practitioners and other concerned individuals to transform systems of institutional care into those based on family and community support. All countries have to make arrangements for those children who, for whatever reason cannot live with their parents, either temporarily or indefinitely. This is achieved by providing children three main types of substitute care. These are fostering and guardianship (the latter is usually provided by relatives), residential care and adoption
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