The Journey of Developing, Mandating and Applying the National Quality Standards for Care Homes in Egypt

Institutional care is one of the most prevalent alternative care forms in Egypt. There were more than 500 registered care homes when Wataneya Society started its journey in 2008. Care homes in Egypt are managed by civil society and supervised by the government. However, their management system and quality of care vary from one place to another depending on the managers’ background and beliefs. Care homes need intensive and constant technical support to be able to provide a healthy environment that promotes the physical and psychological well-being for children and youth without parental care, an environment that secures their good education, employment and social integration. Therefore, standardising and unifying the care system was crucial to ensure that children received quality of care inside these care homes. As a result, since 2008, Wataneya Society has pioneered the development of the national quality standards for care homes in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity, international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs and INGOs) working in the alternative care sector. The national quality standards were mandated nationwide by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in 2014. Prior to that, in Egypt there were no standards, there was only a set of outdated guidelines and regulations dating back to 1977. The national quality standards were driven from, (a) UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (2009); (b) best practices in the field of alternative care; and (c) Wataneya Society’s field experience in piloting the standards with seven care homes for four years starting in the year 2009. Wataneya Society continues to assist care homes to apply the national quality standards to be able to provide a safe environment for children and youth. This article will discuss the journey of developing, mandating and applying the national quality standards for care homes in Egypt.