Transcript Child Protection Units South East Europe Consultation “Reform of the Child Care System: Taking Stock and Accelerating Action” Working Group 1 “Organization of.

Child Protection Units
South East Europe Consultation “Reform of the Child Care
System: Taking Stock and Accelerating Action”
Working Group 1 “Organization of Statutory Services at Sub-national level”
ARDA LAZARENI
Technical Secretariat for Children
Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Albania
• In 2005, Albania approved the National Strategy
for Children and its Action Plan in order to
systematically address the realization of
children’s rights.
• Child protection is recognized as an issue and are
identified the measures in regards to:
 protection of children from violence and abuse,
 promotion of children’s upbringing in the family
environment or in foster care settings,
 improvements in adoption legislation,
 promotion of equal opportunities for children with
disabilities,
 prevention and improved protection of trafficked
children.
The National Strategy for Children and its
Action
Plan
initiated
very
important
institutional changes.
Establishment of monitoring structures such
as:
1. Inter-ministerial Committee for Children's
Rights
2. Technical Secretariat for Children (TSC).
The Secretariat monitors, coordinates and
reports on the implementation of the strategy
and child’s rights. The TSC reports to the
Inter-Ministerial Committee, which is set up to
propose policy changes with regards to
children’s rights.
• Child protection is still relatively a new concept and
key sectors, are working on their specific role and
responsibilities with regards to protecting children
and families.
• In the frame of decentralization, now local
government (municipalities/communes) have the
responsibility to offer services for children and
families at risk.
• NGO sector has been more active in offering social
services than the local government structures.
Are started pilot projects with the aim to:
 Strengthen the national child and family
protection system.
 Strengthen the recently established municipal –
level Child and Family Protection Units in the
interest of establishing permanent structures for
child protection at municipal level.
• Actually, there are seven Child Protection Units in
the municipalities of Tirana, Kukes, Korca,
Elbasan, Fier, Pogradec and Gjirokatra.
• The Child Protection Units are run by different
NGOs under a memorandum of understanding with
the municipality.
What are the functions of Child
Protection Units (CPU)?
1. To assess and monitor the situation of children and family
at risk,
2. To coordinate local level protection, referral and response,
and
3. To conduct identification and multidisciplinary case
management of the most urgent cases.
•
•
Broadly, however, CPU objectives are to increase the
capacity of local government units to identify, assess, refer
and support children in need.
Child Protection Units usually aim to achieve this through
the establishment of a structure such as a case
management team or the development of a network of
collaborating NGOs providing social services within the
municipality.
How they work?
•
The child protection units (CPU) are based within the
administrative structure of local social services.
•
Work with a multidisciplinary team, for following up on individual
cases of vulnerable children and families.
•
The CPU staff participate in weekly multi-disciplinary case
management meetings and chair monthly coordination meetings with
a broader group of stakeholders where more difficult cases are
discussed.
•
The CPU serves as a drop in center where children and families
can come to find more information or get referrals to other
support services.
•
Free psychosocial counseling is provided at the office, as well as
individually in people’s homes, during regular home visits which are
conducted on a weekly basis.
•
All services are free and targeted to the most vulnerable children
and families.
Key Activities
1.
Assessment and monitoring of child protection
•
Conducting assessment of child protection
needs at community level and developing related
municipal protection plan
•
Updating database on vulnerable children and
families and consolidating information to inform
local level policy and planning.
2. Social Services Provision
• Providing multi –disciplinary case management and
support services for children and families at risk.
• Conducting regular outreach home visits to
vulnerable families and children.
• Providing intake psychosocial counseling and
support to children and families.
• Referring beneficiaries to other support
services as needed
3. Coordination and referral
• Coordinating monthly referral meetings with
representatives of Social Services, education,
health, public order, justice and civil society to
exchange information and support referral for
difficult cases.
• Conducting training and awareness rising of
professionals and communities on child protection
issues and appropriate response to facilitate
identification and referral of cases.
Expected impact
• Children at risk are identified and provided with
appropriate –specialized services.
• Local protection structures are in place and effectively
manage a coordinated response to child protection.
• Professionals have increased knowledge and skills to
address the specialized protection needs.
• Stakeholders improve cross-sectoral collaboration through
institutionalized referral mechanisms.
• Communities have increased awareness and knowledge about
how to protect children and where to turn for support.
• A good model for community based protection is recognized
and replicate nation wide.
Things to be considered
• Coordination with other institutions should be institutionalized.
• No formal agreements for cooperation with local partners. Clear
roles and responsibilities should be designed and monitored by
their institutions.
• Introduction of guidance and formal protocols for staff in
health, education and the police on the identification, recording,
reporting and referral of child protection cases
• Work with teachers focusing on the identification, monitoring
and management of cases. More open debates with children
facilitated by experts of the field. School can be a major source
of information on children at risk.
• The data base should be updated, including information on
children at risk and also steps taken to solve their problems
and results achieved. Available to all interested institutions,
persons and confidentiality requirements should also be taken
into consideration.
• Positive experience relating to management of cases should
be used to improve future work of CPU and related
structures.
• Municipalities should be encouraged to think about raising
funds for CPU from the community, business, foreign donors
etc. in order to increase its impact and sustainability.
• Awareness of community and local institutions on children
rights and child protection might be considered. This is
emphasized in small cities where the general mentality
justifies violence against children.
THANK YOU !