Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
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and support <strong>to</strong> foster families.<br />
• For those <strong>children</strong> for whom <strong>in</strong>stitutional care<br />
is the only solution, centres should be small,<br />
temporary and organised around the needs<br />
of the child. It should be made very clear that<br />
the objective of residential care is reunification<br />
or placement <strong>in</strong> the community and rigorous<br />
screen<strong>in</strong>g procedures should be <strong>in</strong> place <strong>to</strong> ensure<br />
only appropriate admissions.<br />
• Remov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>children</strong> from familiar surround<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
will <strong>in</strong>crease their distress and can h<strong>in</strong>der their<br />
recovery. Children should not be removed <strong>to</strong><br />
other countries for any reason unless critical<br />
medical care cannot be provided, and then this<br />
should be as close as possible <strong>to</strong> their home<br />
and they should be accompanied by a caregiver<br />
known <strong>to</strong> the child.<br />
It is important <strong>to</strong> set up ‘child-friendly’<br />
spaces as soon as possible and activities<br />
that normalise the lives of <strong>children</strong><br />
Durable arrangements<br />
Dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>emergency</strong> period, permanent care<br />
arrangements other than reunification should be<br />
avoided.<br />
• Efforts <strong>to</strong> develop, and <strong>to</strong> place <strong>children</strong> <strong>in</strong>, longterm<br />
residential facilities should be discouraged.<br />
• Adoption must be avoided so long as there<br />
is reasonable hope of successful trac<strong>in</strong>g and<br />
reunification.<br />
Should reunification not be possible with<strong>in</strong> an<br />
appropriate period, or found not <strong>to</strong> be <strong>in</strong> the child’s<br />
best <strong>in</strong>terests, other medium and long-term options<br />
such as foster care, group homes or adoption will<br />
need <strong>to</strong> be arranged.<br />
• Decisions about long-term placements must<br />
be considered and decided <strong>in</strong>dividually for<br />
each child, <strong>in</strong> the context of national child<br />
welfare policy, legislation and practice, and<br />
correspond<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> the child’s best <strong>in</strong>terests and his/<br />
her developmental needs.<br />
• At all times, <strong>children</strong> must be kept <strong>in</strong>formed of<br />
the plans be<strong>in</strong>g made for them and their op<strong>in</strong>ion<br />
taken <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> consideration.<br />
• In any form of care, sibl<strong>in</strong>gs must be kept<br />
<strong>to</strong>gether.<br />
• The provision of care should be based on the best<br />
<strong>in</strong>terests of the child and should not be used <strong>to</strong><br />
promote political, religious or other agendas.<br />
• Communities should be supported <strong>to</strong> play an<br />
active role <strong>in</strong> moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g and respond<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> care<br />
and protection issues fac<strong>in</strong>g girls and boys <strong>in</strong><br />
their local context.<br />
These provisions apply <strong>to</strong> both short and long-term<br />
care arrangements.<br />
Adoption<br />
Adoption, and particularly <strong>in</strong>ter-country adoption,<br />
should not take place dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>emergency</strong> phase.<br />
Any adoption must be determ<strong>in</strong>ed as be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the<br />
child’s best <strong>in</strong>terests and carried out <strong>in</strong> keep<strong>in</strong>g with<br />
applicable national, <strong>in</strong>ternational and cus<strong>to</strong>mary law.<br />
When adoption is deemed <strong>in</strong> the child’s best<br />
<strong>in</strong>terest, priority must be given <strong>to</strong> adoption by<br />
relatives, wherever they live. If this is not an option,<br />
preference will be given <strong>to</strong> adoption with<strong>in</strong> the<br />
community from which the child comes, or at least<br />
with<strong>in</strong> his or her own culture.<br />
Adoption should not be considered:<br />
• if there is a reasonable hope of successful trac<strong>in</strong>g<br />
and reunification;<br />
• if it is aga<strong>in</strong>st the expressed wishes of the child or<br />
the parents;<br />
• unless a reasonable time has passed dur<strong>in</strong>g which<br />
all feasible steps <strong>to</strong> trace the parents or other<br />
surviv<strong>in</strong>g family member have been carried out.<br />
B e r n a r d v a n L e e r Fo u n d a t i o n 32 E a r l y C h i l d h o o d M a t t e r s • Ju l y 2 0 0 5