Presentation Transcript

1. Roles and accountabilities at local level:Planning services for prevention of separation of children from families

   Denisa Oana Pătraşcu, Secretary of State Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection Government of Romania
2. Child care system reform in Romania 1997 – 2004, main objectives: deinstitutionalization through development of alternative services within public care system reintegration of children with their biological families 2005, Law on the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights: shift from protection of children ‘in difficulty’, to promotion and protection of all rights of all children prohibition of institutionalization of children under 2, with the exception of children with severe disability and dependent on specialized residential care services. 2008 – 2013, National Strategy and Operational Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights
3. Achievements by 2012 Number of children in public and private residential care Number of children in family type services (maternal assistance, placement with relative of 4th degree or other families, guardianship Source: www.copii.ro, www.mmuncii.ro
4. Lessons learned Decrease of number of children in institutional care: political commitment, adequate funding, scale up alternative services, capacity building of county decentralized authorities Slow decline of number of children in public care: low capacity of local authorities to ensure prevention of separation of children from their families persistent bottlenecks related to social norms (e.g. traditional practices such as overreliance on state care protection) Source: TransMoneedatabase 2010
5. Lessons learned Children in residential care by age groups Source: www.copii.ro, www.mmuncii.ro
6. Emerging challenges 2011, impact of the economic crises: on vulnerable families difficulties to adjust services to unpredictable and increased needs for the first time after almost 15 years, the number of children in institutions increased with 137 2012, assessment of the child care system: capacity of Public Services of Social Assistance at local level are weak, especially in disadvantaged, rural area restraints in HR policies public administration (determined by budgetary constraints), maintains low level capacity of local authorities
7. Current situation Source: www.copii.ro, www.mmuncii.ro
8. Prevention services of separation of children from their families; of new entries into public care system; strengthen the support provided to vulnerable families through basic social services = provided within the community, being close to and within the reach of its members, promote community participation and engagement, provide fast, straightforward and low cost solutions using community resources, ensure multi-disciplinary intervention and cooperation horizontally and vertically.
9. Demonstration project 2011 In partnership with UNICEF, 8 County Councils, General Directions for Social Assistance and Child Protection, Prefectures, 98 Public Local Authorities aiming at increased capacity of local authorities to ensure effective and efficient prevention services focus on: Public Services of Social Assistance (SPAS), most deprived areas, outreach for identifying most vulnerable children and families, independent evaluation, showed that 2.7% of children living in vulnerable families, at risk o various forms of violence, are not identified nor registered by SPAS the risk of non-intervention is associated with new entries in the public care system and/or with beneficiaries of other specialized services
10. Demonstration project 2012 focuses on: provision of timely, low cost solutions using community resources, ensure multi-disciplinary intervention and cooperation, involving the community (thru Community Consultative Structures), demonstration of cost-effectiveness of interventions at local level advocacy for earmarked budget allocations for SPAS ensuring the minimum package of services at community level synergic and convergent with cash transfers (to be adjusted accordingly) In partnership with UNICEF, 8 County Councils, General Directions for Social Assistance and Child Protection, Prefectures, 64 Public Local Authorities
11. Other initiatives at local level In partnership with Government of Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism 20 mobile team were set up in 20 counties to reach out children with disabilities living mainly in rural communities aiming also at increased capacity of public local authorities to ensure specialized services for children with disabilities living with their families and: increase number of families benefiting of support services increase number of children with disabilities benefiting of recuperation services decrease of number of children with disabilities separated by their families because of disability
12. Future steps: long term earmarked budget is necessary but not sufficient; enabling environment for effective and efficient prevention services includes: addressing social norms (i.e. tolerant attitude towards various forms of violence and poverty, low level of awareness of social problems) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUmMccE7B6w low community participation on involvement; weak inter and cross-sectoral collaboration; adequate human resources policies (training and allocation, motivation and retrainment, etc.); use of appropriate monitoring instruments and mechanisms; showcasing results and measuring impact.
13. Future steps: short term evidence-based adjustment of the normative framework (including but not exclusive, Law on the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights) and review of the National Strategy and Operational Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights 2014-2020 including: increase age for prohibition of institutionalization from 2 to 3 specialization of prevention and protection services with special focus on children below 3 and for children with disabilities correlation and adequate balance of state social assistance measures of basic social services and cash transfers improved effectiveness and real time response of monitoring instruments
14. Thank you More information: www.copii.ro www.mmuncii.ro www.unicef.org/romania