Separation from the family was prevented for 278 children and another 75 left the Residential Institution for Children in Balti due to a project implemented by CCF / HHC Moldova in partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection. The results of the project, entitled "Young Children - We Understand Needs, We Develop Services, We Reform the System," were presented today at a round table.
As a result of the efforts made, the Temporary Placement and Rehabilitation Center for Children in Balti municipality was reformed, which allows to prevent the separation of children from families, their reintegration into family or family placement and the development of social support services. Thus, two social nurseries were established in Glodeni and Balti Districts (the Balti one is to be opened by the end of the year) for socially vulnerable families with the young children, which will avoid the risk of abandonment.
At the same time, 21 new families of professional foster parents have been created, and another 5 are waiting to be officially approved by the authorities, in order to take care of young children or children with disabilities, so that they will no longer end up in cold and depersonalized institutions. Attending the roundtable, the Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection, Dr. Stela Grigoraş mentioned that the reform of the child protection system in our country registered significant results and maybe the best results in the Region.
"The Republic of Moldova has achieved considerable progress over the last 10 years in the field of protection and promotion of rights, namely in the development of the child care system and in the efficiency of the system of prevention of separation from the family environment. Within this project we have managed to prevent the risk of abandonment in many cases, to identify families for children left without parental care and to prevent family separation in 278 cases. These are significant results, achieved only through strengthened efforts", mentioned the minister.
Over 300 professionals and LPAs working with disadvantaged children have been trained to be better prepared to meet the individual needs of each child. At the same time, a large recruitment campaign of national professional nurses - "You were born in my heart" - was organized for one month, through public events, the broadcast of a video spot, the involvement of traditional and online media.
Another campaign aimed at preventing the abandonment of young children was performed nationwide, 3 animated spots being broadcasted on TV and online, presenting suggestions and concrete solutions to help vulnerable parents. For the first time in Moldova, an innovative content for home visits conducted by nurses was piloted within the project to assess the child's physical, social and psycho-emotional status from birth to 3 years.
In addition to verifying the health of the child, nurses provide family counseling and guidance to develop their parenting skills, identify medical and social risks faced by the family, bring them to the attention of specialists, and help families in a deadlock. About 175 nurses and family doctors were trained in the field of home visits in the four pilot districts: Balti, Glodeni, Drochia and Donduseni, and 86 nurses already apply the new method while visiting patients at home.
