Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Maha Damaj, UNICEF Country Representative in the Republic of Moldova and Marina Morozova, Member of Parliament, Deputy Chair of the Social Protection, Health and Family Committee, held a press conference where they announced new intervention measures to strengthen the child protection field.
The tripling of the number of child rights protection specialists, the introduction of an information system for child protection case management and the monthly monitoring of how each district is able to identify children in need and effectively manage these cases – these are just some of the measures announced by Alexei Buzu.
“Through the Reform “Restart”, we will monitor so that every child at risk in every district receives the necessary support and assistance from us. Certainly, the effort we are starting and these frontline investments are just the beginning of a journey, which will be an extremely complicated and long one, but it is a much needed step that we should have taken a long time before. We must not forget that the children and the family are at the center of our efforts”, stressed Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labor and Social Protection.
1. 150 specialists in the field of child rights protection (SCRP) will be hired with UNICEF support
At the moment in the Republic of Moldova, there are only 46 dedicated child rights protection specialists (in addition to community social workers) for more than 20 000 identified cases of children at risk. This number is insufficient to identify “invisible children” at risk. By the end of April, 150 new child rights protection specialists will be recruited. The Ministry aims to reach 300 specialists by the end of 2026.
The specialists are contracted with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Moldova. Thanks to the expertise provided by UNICEF, with the financial support of UNHCR and Plan International, in partnership with the Association for Child and Family Empowerment “Ave Copiii”, initial training courses structured in 2 modules are being organized. In total, 2,487 people working in the child protection sector will be trained.
“We all need to contribute to the development of a child protection system that has a strong role in preventing situations of risk for both children and their families, while minimizing risk situations. In the broader context of the Republic of Moldova’s commitment to integrate into the European Union, we are committed to continue to provide assistance to strengthen the child protection system in line with European standards and in compliance with the EU acquis communautaire”, Maha Damaj, UNICEF Country Representative in the Republic of Moldova, told the conference.
2. Case management will be introduced, improved and digitized through CPIS – the Child Protection Case Management Information System, for all cases when a child is in a difficult or endangered situation
The more than 20 000 existing cases that are managed by child protection specialists and community social workers will be entered into the Child Protection Information System (CPIS). The files will be managed digitally, which will allow better monitoring of the progress of cases from detection to resolution.
In partnership with Data for Impact (D4I), SIPC has been piloted in four districts: Cimislia, Causeni, Riscani and Ialoveni. By the summer of 2024, the Information System will be implemented in all districts of the Republic of Moldova for children in care.
3. The capacity of each district to identify children in need and effectively manage these cases will be assessed on a monthly basis
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, in collaboration with partners, has developed an IT solution that will allow the monthly monitoring of key indicators in the field of child protection, which will provide the possibility to identify children invisible to the system so far and present the performance of specialists on these cases.
“Over the years we have heard too many extremely sad cases, where minors have been victims of rape, domestic violence, girls who gave birth too early, who have been victims of alcohol or drug abuse. Today, it is up to all of us to see which boat we build for our children. We need a safe, solid boat in which every child feels protected. A safe boat for all the 10-year-old girls who look around and wonder what will happen to them. Everybody’s work must provide a safe boat for all our children in the Republic of Moldova”, said Marina Morozova, Member of Parliament, Social Protection, Health and Family Committee.
4. Family support for 15 000 children
With the support of UNICEF, for the period April 2024 – February 2025, about 2 million USD will be allocated to finance the Social Support Service for Families with Children and to pay the cash support within its framework.
It will be able to provide the necessary support for around 15 000 children to mitigate the factors affecting the child’s health and development, including action to prevent separation of the child from the family or to prepare the child’s reintegration into the family.
5. Support measures for parent educators and professional parental assistants
Again, with the assistance of UNICEF, the Ministry ensures the payment of supplements to the monthly allowances of children in foster care professional parental assistance (PPA) and family-type children’s homes, averaging 1,200 MDL, to ensure their adjustment to the minimum subsistence indicators.
At the same time, all parent-educators and professional parental assistants receive a monthly salary supplement of 1 000 MDL net per month.
6. 300 000 families with children will be informed about the signs of child abuse and its prevention
The 150 new child rights protection specialists will launch a door-to-door information campaign informing over 300 000 families about the signs of child abuse, how to identify children at risk and how to prevent it.
Specialists will promote the “Child helpline” service, through which children can call 116 111 anonymously and free of charge and receive psychological counseling and information about their rights and protection options in at-risk situations.
UNICEF’s contribution is made possible thanks to the generous support of the European Union, the UK and Swiss governments.
Article Credit: unicef