Presentation

New homes, new
beginnings
Closure of Ghiocelul
Institution, Bacău County
Sofia, October 2012
Hope and Homes for Children Romania
• 50 institutions closed or in process of closure
• 4,742 children out of institutions
• 97 alternative services developed
• 10,747 children prevented from entering institutions
• 16,637 children/youngsters benefitted of our
programmes
Chronology of institutionalisation in Romania
Year 2000: more than 640
institutions, with over 100,000
children
Year 2007: 236
institutions, with
approximately 25,000
children
Year 2011: 190 institutions,
with over 9,000 children
New home, new beginnings – Case study
Overview of services in Romania
Budget spent (Euros, millions)
290 institutions
were closed in
Romania between
2000 and 2011
New home, new beginnings – Case study
Overview of services in Romania
Of the 9,000
children in
institutions, 4,400
are with special
needs.
1,205 residential
services, of which
190 institutions. Of
these 190
institutions, 133
shelter disabled
children.
Although institutions
represent 15.3% of all
residential services,
they shelter 52% of
all children placed in
residential care
New home, new beginnings – Case study
Overview of services in Romania
70% of institutions have been closed and
90,000 children freed from institutions
67,000 children are in the childcare system, of
which:
• 9,000 in institutions
• 18,000 in family-based residential care
• 19,000 in foster care
• 21,000 in simple placement
New home, new beginnings – Case study
Aim and objective of Ghiochelul DI project
Aim:
To reduce the number of children in institutions in Bacau County
and to increase the capacity of professionals in Bacau County
Child Protection Directorate.
Objective:
To provide family-type solutions for the 81 children and youngsters
in the Ghiocelul institution and for those entering the institution
during the project
New home, new beginnings
Who was involved?
County
authorities
• The capacity of the
local authorities was
increased and TA was
provided in order to
implement closure
programmes
• The professionals of
the CPD received TA
and benefited from
transfer of expertise
regarding the direct
work with children in
the institution
targeted for closure
Local
authorities
• We increased the
capacity of the local
authorities to
implement effective
interventions for
children from the
institution who were
reunited with their
families or supported
to start independent
lives
The children in
the institution
• Complex assessments
were carried out for
all children in the
institution in order to
determine their needs
(within the wider
context of their
families sand
community) and to
produce the best
placement
suggestions for each
one of them
New home, new beginnings
What else did we look at?
Existing
infrastructure of
services
Prevention
programme
Attention was paid to the
existing infrastructure of
services, in order to use it
at its maximum
A prevention programme
aimed to keep children in
families stopped admissions
into the institution: 72
children with special needs
Children and youngsters
were supported to leave
the existing services, to
make places available for
children in the Institution
Local and county
authorities received
technical assistance in
implementing prevention
programmes
New home, new beginnings
What solutions were found?
New home, new beginnings
Why do post-project monitoring?
For new services
•Ensures the quality of services provided to children
•Helps identify potential issues and provide solutions
•Ensures that the standards of care are observed and implemented
For family reintegrations
•Provides support for a successful placement
•Ensures that the adjustment process goes smoothly
•Identifies potential threats of family breakdown immediately after the reintegration
For independent living
•Provides support and guidance for youngsters
•Helps youngsters overcome challenges and provides them with a “safety net”
New home, new beginnings
What is there to be learned?
DI is child focused
This move should be prepared as a
long-term solution
Each child needs the opportunity to
use his/her potential: each child is
unique
New home, new beginnings
What is there to be learned?
DI is a dynamic and flexible process
It needs a thorough plan and an
approach focusing on the child in the
institution and the context outside the
institution: children should go back to
their families
Closing the institution is not a purpose in
itself, it is one result in the process of
creating alternative, family-based
services to cater children’s needs
New home, new beginnings
What is there to be learned?
DI is a contextualized approach
For sustainability, state authorities must be
involved in all stages of the process and
need support to see the process through.
The solutions found should be individualized
and provided within the wider context of
families and communities.
A context should be created for avoiding
further institutionalization of children and this
is why a prevention programme is
paramount for each DI process.
New home, new beginnings
Children need families. We must give them a chance to have one.
Plan, prepare, involve, train,
support, monitor!