Child Care Systems Reforms In Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Why we need to focus on children below three years October 2012 Jean-Claude Legrand Regional.

Child Care Systems ReformsChild Care Systems ReformsIn Eastern Europe and Central Asia.In Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Why we need to focus on Why we need to focus on children below three yearschildren below three years

October 2012October 2012Jean-Claude LegrandJean-Claude LegrandRegional Advisor Child ProtectionRegional Advisor Child ProtectionUNICEF CEE/CISUNICEF CEE/CIS

UNICEF Regional office CEE/CIS 2

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: INCREASED FAMILY-LIKE CARE HIDING GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: INCREASED FAMILY-LIKE CARE HIDING AN INCREASED TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN PLACED IN ALL AN INCREASED TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN PLACED IN ALL FORMS OF CAREFORMS OF CARE

UNICEF Regional office CEE/CIS 3

Key data and … a critical conclusionKey data and … a critical conclusionThere are some 1.3 million children in formal care across Eastern Europe, illustrating a high level of separation of children below 18 years from their biological families.

The region has the highest rate of children in residential care in the world. Some 600,000 children grow up in residential care. At least 225,000 of them are children with disabilities. 31,000 children below three years still grow up in institutional care; only 2 to 5% of these are orphans.

This suggests that vulnerable families are not being given the support they need by social protection systems (combining cash transfers, services and social work)

This is mainly about the capacity and political will to identify most vulnerable families, and the capacity to reach them and provide them with appropriate support.

Then it is about providing the right form of care for children deprived of parental care.

Separation: More children continue to be separated from their families. Children below three are, in general, at higher risk of family separation than older children

Probability of losing parental care for children 0-2 and children 0-17 in 2009 (number of cases per 100,000 children of relevant age)

NB: data for other CEE/CIS countries were not available through TransMonEE.

Numbers: The « positive » overall decrease of the rate of institutionalisation of children 0-3 hides « negative » country specificities

A look at today’s numbers Proportion of children 0-3 in institutions by location (as of 2012)

Rates: Rate of children 0-3 in residential care in 2000 and 2009 (by country and by sub-region)

UNICEF Regional office CEE/CIS 7

Some additional concernsSome additional concerns

Foster care is barely used for children below three years who cannot live (either temporarily or permanently) with their parents or extended families.

But preventing the separation the separation of children below three years requires addressing one of the main challenge in our region, being the abandon or relinquishment of children with disabilities. Our region is lagging behind in term of development of policies and services, particularly for young children.

Foster care for children below three years with disability is so under-developed in our region that it is not even reflected in statistics.

Access to services: There is too little use of foster care for children 0-3

Percentage of CEE/CIS countries with foster care for children 0-3 (as of 2012)

More than 1/3 of Children in residential More than 1/3 of Children in residential care are classified as having a disability’ care are classified as having a disability’

9

1) An equity issue …

Reasons for the institutionalisation of

children below 3 years of age in Western Europe countries

parental abuseor neglect

orphans

disability

social reasons

Reasons for the institutionalisation of

children below 3 years of age in Central and Eastern

Europe countries

parentalabuse orneglecttrue orphans

disability

socialreasons

Source: EU Daphné Programme (2004)

Western Europe Vs. Central and Eastern Europe…

Specialists Vs. Mothers… a case study from the Karaganda oblast, Kazakhstan (2011)

Research and solid situation analysis

“The socio-demographic profile of a mother who abandons a child is as follows: aged about 25, with more than 3 children, illiterate or without completed education, unemployed before the birth of the abandoned child, with about BGN 85 monthly income per household member, with Roma ethnic identity (54.7%), living in a village or in a small town, the father is unknown or reluctant to recognize the child”.UNICEF Bulgaria (2010)

The Call for Action! As part of the responseThe Call for Action! As part of the response

13

UNICEF Regional office CEE/CIS 14

The campaign is part of a broader reform The campaign is part of a broader reform process but with a focus on key resultsprocess but with a focus on key results

Part of the reform of child care systems: transforming a system using institutionalisation as a core response to many issues, including exclusion and poverty, into a system of prevention where outreach social work and social policies aim at preventing family separation. It requires bringing change into a complex system of services, structures, regulators and processes in association with the development of social policies.

•Building from the state-of-the art knowledge on the impact of institutional care on children

•Building from international and European Human rights Standards: The UN CRPD, the recommendations from the CRC Committee, the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care, the Council of Europe Recommendations, in particular on deinstitutionalisation and community living of children with disabilities.

Defining the results to be reached.Defining the results to be reached.• Need to take stock of our experience of resistance to de-institutionalization in

many countries; need to identify new strategies for bringing faster results

• This is not only focusing on improving the conditions of life of children in alternative care but to prevent family separation.

• This is focusing also on young children with disabilities.

• This requires developing a solid synergy in between social policies and child welfare services; facilitating access of the most vulnerable to cash transfers and local services.

• This requires supporting key changes in behaviour of health staff, particularly in prenatal care and maternity wards with single mothers. And addressing stigma against children with disabilities and discrimination against minority groups.

15

Results can be achieved. Results can be achieved. On reducing the number of children below three years being abandoned

(Ukraine) of being placed in residential care (Serbia)

On stigma and discrimination. We have seen good work been done in countries like Croatia, Bulgaria and Montenegro through media campaigns (talents, partnership, leadership)

16

Results can be achieved. Results can be achieved.

On developing community-based services allowing parents to care for their children with disabilities (cash allocations, day-care centres, inclusive education).

In Serbia, ten years of efforts resulted in having 35% of municipalities providing some funding for day-care centers for children with disability. This covers the need of 14% of the children with disabilities. Shall we say only 35% and only 14% or shall we say that Serbia has done better than most countries in the region.

In Romania, major efforts have been made to develop basic social prevention services at community level. Results at the project level are encouraging. But measuring impact in 100 communes out of 2,800 in the country may provide different result.

On implementing ambitious reform plans with the support of the international community (Bulgaria, Georgia)

17

UNICEF Regional office CEE/CIS 18

One final lessonOne final lesson

Rapid progress happen only when transitional costs have been mobilized. Most of the time, it requires additional external funding (European Commission, USAID, etc.)

You need to build an alliance with the civil society and you need to invest into communication for development.

This requires long-term political commitment, capacity to plan and budget the whole exercise: and most probably the capacity to consult all stakeholders during preparation of the plan.

External funding has a solid impact when it is used to develop innovative services rather than rehabilitating costly institutions.

Join us!Join us!

19

www.unicef.org/ceecis