ABSTRACT: The past decade produced great strides in rights protection for developmentally disabled youngsters. But, although new or improved licensing standards, certification procedures,human rights committees and peer review committees are necessary, they may not be sufficient to the adequate safeguarding of children’s rights. In this article we examine several program components that help to ensure children’s rights to effective treatment, and place special emphasis upon the importance of hands-on training for professional helpers,and data-based programming for children.