Old-Type Institutions for Children in Maramures County are Gone
At the beginning of this year, we closed the last old type institution for children in Maramures county. After 12 years and the same number of institutions closed, all children in state care in this county are placed only in family alternatives. The chapter ended here proves it is possible. It is possible to make real reform in childcare in Romania, by the state, so in a most sustainable way. We supported the state authorities all this time, but it is the state that actually implemented the reform and it is still the state that supports the new structure of services, the new childcare system, long term. For the children, this is a huge difference. The family environment offers them a better childhood and then the chance of an independent life.This does not mean problems are over. There are still the issues of quality of care, excessive bureaucracy, with negative effects on children, as well as the unsufficient daily activities done with children, but a breakthrough has been achieved and, from now on, we can talk about children"s quality of life. This is where our attention stands.
When Social Allowances Turn into an Excuse for Laziness
We can pay lots of money for needy families, with mothers and fathers who do not want to get hired. We can laugh at an attempt to reduce the ways of losing tax payer"s money, by taking into account more decision indicators when granting or not granting social allowances. We can complain that social workers are about to turn into experts in assessing poor people"s goods. Yet we fail to see that it is the same poor people who refuse to accept good jobs, found by social workers.Many of them would better live on social allowance, then get hired. So, why poor buckets of money in families who can work? Why spend in vain, where there are people able to work healthy, both in mind, and in body?
By being stubborn, by being lazy, and also by noticing "they can get around", the lazy ones get the status of "socially protected". Moreover, they maintain their kids in conditions of extreme poverty. In such situations, children should be taken from their parents, who endanger their lives and health.
Yes, there is some excess in the way the indicators of granting social allowances are conceived, but, overall, the methodology is good and will lead to the diminishing of wasting the public money, as well as to the increase of employment. Because, the real social protection for the needy ones, is getting them a job. I have had enough of the eternal social protected ones, who run away from work as much as they can.
How Much Advocacy and How Much Work with Children and Families?
For some time now, I have been preoccupied with the dilemma of the balance between work in abstract ways (policies, legislation, lobby, positive influence, studies, reports) and the concrete work, with vulnerable children and families. Until we started advocacy projects, all energies were directed towards working with children. Then, we targeted our energy also towards less concrete areas (communication, lobby, scientific research, publications). I noticed a paradox: your notoriety increases as you do abstract projects, as you talk about what you do. Our notoriety was reduced when we only worked with the children in institutions. And this is the problem: the more you do on advocacy and paperwork, the less motivated people in the organisation are. In other words, the risk is that a good external reputation involves a high cost: the decrease of the motivation for the people in the organisation and, implicitly, the reduction of the direct contact with children and families.
At the end of the day, the golden equilibrium is somewhere in the middle: you have no choice of financing your operations, without the "noise" around them, which mean words, events, meetings, research. The secret lies in the balance. In fact, it is like walking on a string.
BB Collection Supports Our Projects
The end of this year brought BB Collection company close to us: they decided to venture in a partnership with us, by financing the projects we carry out with a considerable amount. Tens of children will benefit from their support and will remain with their parents. It is such a joy for us to be together with BB Collection in these holy celebration and in the entry to the New Year! We are honoured by this partnership and, on behalf of the families and children we are here to serve, we thank you!