The Rights of Infants and Young Children Living in Children's Homes
Working group: 'The Rights for Children in Children's Homes'. Peter Mangione, Bonnie Neugebauer, Elsa Chahin, Agnes Szanto, Alex Kajtar, Anna Tardos, Beverly Kovach. Collaboratively working with World Forum Foundation.
Our mission is to support institutions to be successful in caring for young and school-age children in group settings by providing them with information about best practices for children's homes and group care; information that is based on experience and research related to long-term beneficial outcomes.
Anna Tardos and Elsa Chahin, in collaboration with the World Forum Foundation, are co-authoring a book on the rights of children living in children's homes with participation from PLUSA Board members: Janet Gonzalez Mena, Agnes Szanto and Beverly Kovach, and Advisory Board member Peter Mangione. Collaborators from Hungary, France, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Russia thus far, will be sharing their 'voices of experience' on how they are making a difference to improving quality of life of the children under their care. We are seeking more voices! If you have ever worked in a children's home of infants and toddlers, or school aged children, and have found a positive outcome, we need your voice! We are seeking collaborators to contribute with their 'Voices of experience' for our Working Group on the Rights for Children living in Children's Homes. The 10 Rights were drafted with infants and young children in mind, yet according to us, the realization of these points or rights could also improve the quality of life of older (school-aged) children living in institutions.
All children living in institutions have the right to a complete, full-value childhood all through their stay. In order to achieve this we declare the following rights essential.
- All children living in institutions have the right to a healthy life in all of its aspects: the right to nutritious food, appropriate clothing, clean environment, and to profit from open air. They have the right to physical well-being and health.
- All children have the right to develop an individual, personal, loving and supporting relationship with the adults who take care of them; who know them and take their individual, physical and emotional needs into consideration.
- All children have the right to be treated as individuals when their physical needs are being satisfied and not to be hurried during the moments of care.
- All children should be protected from all types of aggression, open or hidden, verbal or physical, and have the right to experience the acceptance and respect every human being is entitled to.
- All children have the right to continuity and stability in their personal relationships, physical environment and life circumstances, and to a predictable organization of events in their everyday lives.
- All children should be able to satisfy their natural need for activity, to have the possibility to move and play freely, discover their surroundings and develop their capacities.
- All children have the right to be able to create a positive image of themselves.
- All children have the right to get help for their development, respecting their individual pace.
- All children have the right to get support to stay in contact with their families.
- All children should be helped in finding a final, reassuring solution to live in a loving family.