So It Is Possible to do Prevention in the State System!

I met the leadership of Sector 6 in Bucharest. I was surprised to find out they are working on prevention programmes, to help keep families with their children. Actually, they passed through their Local Council a set of procedures which regulate the way in which families can benefit from support to prevent their separation from children. In a country where the social services responsible for childcare at county level are in a constant debate with the ones at local level, on who pays what, whose duty is to do what, and finally nothing really happens - this is a great piece of news I think. In fact, this proves that good will and a solution-focused approach can be the way to secure a family life for children in need. Hopefully, other state authorities can get the idea and follow such positive examples. To strengthen this good actions, we will kick off a new programme in Bucharest, sector 6, aimed at increasing their capacity to keep children with their families. We will work together on reuniting kids with their families, as well as on supporting youngsters leaving the childcare system to independent living. In addition, we will partner in training programmes and reduce the number of children in old state institutions. According to our estimations, around 800 children will benefit from our projects in Sector 6.

Securing EU Funding for Closing Institutions

In the current context, there is no funding available from the European Union, through structural funding, for the creation of alternative, family-based services. In consequence, there is no support to close down the old-style institutions, or to develop family type homes which could replace institutions. As the EU is a strong source of funding, it could boost the development of the necessary infrastructure of family-based residential services, and therefore push the agenda for the de-institutionalisation of the childcare system in Romania. There is no structure in place to lobby for such a development. We aim to work on this issue and push the agenda for the closure of institutions in our country. According to our vision, Romania could be an institution-free country by 2020, with a big push in the next five years (by 2015), if the EU would allow structural funding to this objective, as well. It would make sense: having been one of the countries to shelter more than 100,000 children in institutions some years ago, and still having nearly 11,000 institutionalised kids as we speak, in 256 institutions, Romania could benefit from ending institutionalisation altogether. It could be the first countr

Small Family Homes Taken for Children"s Institutions

I keep hearing about absurd requests from the state authorities with regard to the permits necessary for small group homes for children, developed as an alternative to the old, state institutions. For instance, the Fire Authority requires eight fire extinguishers in one house. Or the newly developed Social Inspection, which requests 350 square meter large houses, where a 200 square meter one would be more than enough. Another one is about the interdiction of placing children"s personal photos above their beds, as it "spoils" the wall plastering... Rigidities such as having three sinks in a kitchen, as well as two closets in one bathroom - are still imperatives in obtaining relevant permits for the running of family-based services for children. Unfortunately, these aspects show a lack of understanding of what real change is about in a childcare system. Just changing the name from "institution" to "small family home" means nothing, if this is not sustained by a change of mentalities. As long as there are fire authorities and social inspection services requiring institution-like environments, there is not going to be a real, systemic transformation in the design of social services.

The small family homes should be homes, to start with. If we are to turn these into mini-institutions, then we would obtain little from this transformation, with a deeply negative effect upon the children who live in these places. A home will never expose eight fire extinguishers, or three sinks in a kitchen, or two closets in a bathroom. Because these strongly contradict any conception of privacy for children. A home is a home because it gives you the feeling of warmth only a home can give. If you make it too big, too stuffed with fire extinguishers, plaques on the doors, plaques above the doors, loads of sinks, empty walls, lacking children"s personal photos, you can turn it into an institution-like environment.

A change is not sustainable unless it also becomes a mentality change for the system itself. However, as in many other situations, the system actually means the people who make it.

Securing Finance from the State for Existing Services

There is an open discussion in the NGO environment on the way in which the Romanian state authorities actually pay for children"s services, or not, once they are taken over from non-governmental organisations. Some NGOs face problems in securing finance for existing services, once the services are to be transferred to the state. Having developed more than 100 alternative, family-based services, we cannot say the state does not honour its responsibilities, once taken by means of a formal contract. I guess the situation would be different, had we not developed services in partnership with the state authorities. One should not expect a third party (in this case, the state) to take over one"s financial obligations, unless there is a formal contract at the basis of such an expectation. That is, if you decide to create services as a private organisation, without any understanding with childcare authorities, then it is you who should bear the burden of running the service. And, when you cannot continue financing the service, you cannot expect anybody to take over your service, just because you think this would be a good idea. If this is the way you want to go, then you should go this way from the very beginning. Otherwise, you should not blame anybody else for not wanting to take on the burden of  your projects. The rules are set at the beginning of the game, and not during the game. It is a common sense principle. So far, once we have designed a contract with the state, it was also observed by the state, and the services developed (small family homes, day centres, mother and baby units, emergency reception centres, foster care networks) continue to exist. Children and families benefit from them.

Poverty and Children in State Care

Almost 97% of the children who are in institutions or in state care in Romania have at least one parent. So, they are social orphans, not biological orphans. This tells us that poverty is the main reason why kids get in institutions. And still, beyond poverty, the lack of services to prevent the separation of children from their parents is another main reason. Without a public policy to prevent child abandonment, things will remain in a confusing area, in a territory of amateurs. From one county to another, from one town to another, rules, regulations, standards and prevention criteria are either arbitrary, or absent. Social Services at county level avoid responsibility, saying that prevention work falls under the role of local level public services of social assistance. They also defend themselves, arguing that it was only responsibilities that were transferred, without funding allocations. In the end, in this absurd debate between authorities, lacks what counts more: vulnerable children and their families. And the children suffer the most. The problem is that poverty gets children out of their homes. However, they do not even fall into state care, as the state does not have money for prevention work. And neither does the state have a public policy, focused on preventing the separation of children from their families. Our daily work proves that there are ways to prevent abandonment, and that it is both cheaper, and hugely better for the kids. In this way, they can stay with their parents who, without any exaggeration, are their entire universe.

We just need to join efforts and put these into action all over the country.