The Recommendation establishes the overall guiding principles to be applied whenever a child is placed outside the family, particularly in a residential institution and underlines that every placement must ensure that the child's human rights are fully respected. According to this Recommendation, placements are justified only when the child is in such danger that it is impossible for him or her to remain in the family environment. Residential institutions - when necessary through reforms – have to assure children of the best possible development and future; the reintegration of children into family life is also considered. The quality of supervision is an important factor too, for it provides a minimum safeguard against the foster family itself causing harm.

We are working on the promotion and follow-up of this Recommendation, which was presented in 2005 United Nations Day of General Discussion on Children without Parental Care, organised by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The latter welcomed our work and recommended that the international community organise an expert meeting to prepare a set of international standards for the protection and alternative care of children without parental care for the UN General Assembly to consider and adopt in 2006.

In 2009, the European Committee for Social Cohesion made an evaluation of the implementation of the Recommendation and produced a report on the results.

A leaflet presenting the Recommendation was also prepared in 2009 and translated into several languages.

Recommendation in other languages:
Czech - Estonian - French - Greek - Icelandic - Lithuanian - Polish - Russian - Serbian

Explanatory report in other languages:
French - Greek - Polish - Russian

Leaflet in other languages:
Bulgarian - Czech - French - Lithuanian - Romanian - Russian - Turkish - Ukrainian