UN Guidelines on Alternative Care of Children welcomed

New Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children, welcomed by the Fostering Network, are due to be presented to the UN General Assembly in New York later today.

Today is Universal Children's Day and the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The guidelines aim to help raise the standards of care for children unable to live with their parents worldwide.

Many of the wide-ranging recommendations outlined in the guidelines are working towards the same outcomes as the Fostering Network's Together for Change campaign. They lend support to the organisation's recommendations on pay, training and delegated authority for foster carers.

The guidelines, which were submitted to the General Assembly in June by the UN Human Rights Council, are intended to enhance the implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child around the protection and well-being of children who are in need of an alternative to parental care.