Rights of Children at Risk and in Care (Human Rights)

When confronted with crises or difficult situations, families should receive necessary, specifically adapted assistance from public authorities to help solve their problems. This is sometimes not possible, however, for example when parents are unable to bring up their children or when they represent a danger to them. The child and the parents must consequently be separated, with the parents' agreement or on the basis of a court ruling. Placement must always be an exception and a temporary solution, as short as possible, only foreseeable if all the right conditions are met and if the principal aim is the best interest of the child, including a successful and prompt social integration or reintegration. The main objective should be the development and fulfillment of the child. Child protection and welfare, based on the rights of the child, including those of children in institutions, is a priority for the Council of Europe, as stated in Recommendation Rec(2005)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the rights of children living in residential institutions. This publication, while showing the importance of the issue and the necessity of dealing with it in a sensitive and cautious way, also opens perspectives for the future.--Publisher's description.