Social services are a key component of child protection systems. When social services systems fail to effectively protect children’s rights and well-being, the risk of child rights violations increases drastically. This may cause children to mistrust institutions and service providers thus increasing the odds of further children rights violation. In order to effectively protect children who are in vulnerable situations, social services need to take a child-centred approach.

The Council of Europe Recommendation on children’s rights and social services friendly to children and families (2011) builds on child rights principles and provides a framework for member states to look at social services legislation, policies and delivery with a critical eye, to enhance their work and, ultimately, to contribute to better outcomes for children.

Accessible, appropriate and adapted to the needs of every child

The Recommendation builds on three principles: the provision of social services in the best interest of the child, the child’s rights to participation and the child’s right to protection. These three principles are to be applied to all social services provided to children, including general, specialised and intensive social services and in all aspects of social service delivery.

General elements of child-friendly social services:

  • Information and advice
  • Accessibility of services
  • Availability
  • Appropriateness, suitability
  • Interdisciplinary and multi-agency collaboration
  • Professional competency: training, supervision and accountability
  • Confidentiality and privacy rights

Recommendation on children’s rights and social services friendly to children and families (2011) also available in: ARA - AZER - ROU – SRB – TUR

Children and Social Services (2016)

Exhibition “Austerity Bites: Children’s Voices” introduces 32 short films made by children

The Council of Europe and the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) launch an exhibition expressing children’s views on how the economic crisis and austerity measures affect them and their rights.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/childrens-voices

Links

European Commission – Integrated child protection systems

Atrás New digital parenting guide by the Council of Europe

New digital parenting guide by the Council of Europe

To foster and concretely support positive digital parenting approaches, the Council of Europe has published a new guidance tool on "Parenting in the digital age" containing “positive parenting strategies for different scenarios”. The guide promotes the idea that positive parenting practices, based on open communication and trust, should be extended into the online world, and provides hands-on advice on how to react, as a parent or caregiver, to critical situations encountered by children. Likewise, parents and caregivers are called upon to closely watch their own behaviours as they share online (images for example) or regularly use digital technologies throughout the day.

In line with a previous Digital parenting guide (2017), the Internet Literacy Handbook (2017), and relevant Council of Europe standards, such as CM/Rec(2018)7 on Guidelines to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment, our Organisation continues to call for a balanced approach both supporting children’s equal opportunities in accessing digital technologies and their protection from harm.

Strasbourg 6 November 2020
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