Introduction to Working Group 2

Judita Reichenberg, Regional Advisor Child Protection, UNICEF CEE/CIS

Family Substitute Services

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Key resource persons

Technical Resource:

Ms. Vesna Bosnjak,

Rapporteur:

Ms. Tanja Radocaj

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Purpose of the working group

• Examine role of family substitute services within the continuum of services;

• Clarify concepts, appropriateness and shortcomings related to each type of family substitute service;

• Use lessons learned from promotion/use of substitute-family based options;

• Examine links with de-institutionalisation• Agree upon: key lessons, questions for

further examination, key conclusions and key recommendations..

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Family Substitute Services

Target groups

• children without parental care;• children separated from parents and living

in inadequate or irregular circumstances;• children who temporarily cannot be (re)-

integrated in their families.

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Family Substitute Services

Types of arrangements

• Kinship care; • Foster care;• Short term protected shelter;• Institutional care;

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Agenda

Topic I: Parentless and other children without parental care

• 3 presentations + commentary• discussionTopic II: Kinship and foster care • 4 presentations + documentary• discussionTopic III: “Out of home” placements in collective

settings • 2 presentations + commentary• DiscussionSumming –up and recommendations

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Expected outcomes

• Clarifications on scope characteristics of family substitute services;

• Lessons on streamlining assessment and decision making procedures for ‘last resort’-based placement;

• Suggestion on improving the links between guardianship authorities and the care system; between formal (and informal) kinship care and the statutory ( and support) services

• Suggestion for steps/measures to diversify foster care to serve different groups of children in need of such care

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Expected outcomes

• Challenges and ways forward – on differential treatment of sub. family services when needed for

longer period, limited/short period and/or on emergency basis;

a child with a disability or chronic medical condition ;

• Clarification on role/functions of: temporary shelters, small institutions, institutions in transformation and/or in process of downsizing or closure

UNICEF

Reform of the Child Care System: Taking stock and accelerating action

Expected outcomes

Agree upon: • key lessons, • questions for further examination, • key conclusions • key recommendations