Standards on residential care

The compliance of residential facilities with existing standards is an important element of the monitoring process. Standards on residential care include provisions on management (data collection, self-monitoring), human resources (number of staff, qualification of staff), living conditions (premises and safety), number of children accommodated and practices and operational policies.

Source: FRA, 2014

(✔) Provisions exist at national level regulating some aspects of the operational framework of residential care facilities. Detailed standards are developed at regional level.

✔* Provisions exist at national level setting up general standards of the operational framework of residential care facilities. Detailed quality standards are developed by national monitoring authorities in the shape of recommendations and guidance with no statutory status.

Key findings

• Standards are not always developed at national level, which may result in disparities within a country.
• Existing standards very often take the shape of recommendations or guidance, and do not have statutory value.
• Existing standards are often loose, setting forth vague requirements and criteria. Monitoring compliance is therefore challenging.
• In certain EU Member States existing standards lack a holistic approach, covering primarily only certain elements, such as financial aspects, technical requirements and material conditions, and failing to cover other relevant ones, such as human resources.
• When provisions regarding quality elements to be followed at the operational level exist, they are not always transposed into concrete measurable indicators.
• Existing standards do not always apply to all type of institutions. In many Member States national standards do not apply to institutions for juvenile offenders, when such institutions exist, or to reception facilities for unaccompanied children.

In EU Member States with a federal or autonomous regional structure, such as Austria, Belgium, Germany and Spain, standards are elaborated at state-community-regional level. Some of these states, such as Austria, nevertheless, acknowledge the need for a unitary approach and also provide general provisions and guidance at national level, while others like Spain have developed non-binding national quality standards.

In some Member States, existing quality standards are applicable only in certain types of facilities and institutions, as for example in the Czech Republic and Italy.

In Greece and Slovakia, where no standards exist, responsible authorities are taking steps to develop them.