Moldova: How a major child care reform is rescuing 17,000 children
A major reform of Moldova's child care system, which began in 2007, has made significant progress in deinstitutionalising children.
The initiative, part of a broader child protection effort, aims to phase out residential institutions for good, moving towards family-based care.
In 2005, there were more than 17,000 children in residential care, a figure that has now fallen to around 400. Of those remaining, 95 have disabilities. With the support of non-governmental organisations, authorities aim to bring the number of residential care homes to "zero" by 2026.
According to Anastasia Gruzin, Deputy Head of the Child and Family Rights Protection Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the children who remain in these institutions are those who are difficult to reintegrate into their biological or extended families.
“The children who remain in residential care today are often siblings, children with disabilities, or those with complex behavioural needs. Placements are also available for children aged 0-3. The government, along with its partners, is developing specialised family placement services to meet these needs,” Anastasia Gruzin stated.
UNICEF representatives emphasise that the reform's success depends on preventing new entries into the system.
“The prevention component of deinstitutionalisation is vital because we can work very hard on deinstitutionalisation, but if we don't stop new entries into the residential system, the reform will essentially be endless,” noted Viorica Dumbrăveanu, a UNICEF expert.
Professional parental assistance, or foster care, serves as an alternative to residential institutions. However, the process of identifying and training these families is complex.
“First, it involves identifying potential professional foster parents. Then, they undergo training and preparation. The training needs to be different and more extensive for those who will care for children with special needs. After that, there's the phase of identifying the financial resources to pay the professional foster parents,” explained Anastasia Gruzin.
Currently, there are 462 professional parental assistance services, with 860 children placed in families. However, an additional 200 placements are still needed to cover the number of children remaining in residential care. Organisations are also drawing attention to the dramatic effects of institutionalisation on a child's development.
“Spending three months in residential care can deprive a child of one month's development, while a year can result in a loss of three months,” said Liliana Rotaru, President of the organisation “Child, Community, Family” (CCF Moldova).
Finding foster parents remains a challenge, especially in cities, where more attractive job alternatives exist. Obstacles include a lack of financial resources, a shortage of necessary services, and low public awareness. Despite these challenges, Moldova aims to have no children in institutional care by 2026.
The deinstitutionalisation reform is part of a broader effort to transform Moldova's child protection system. It aims to create sustainable social services centred on the needs of children and their families. The reform does not just seek to reduce the number of children in residential care but also to develop a model of preventive protection, support family reintegration, and create effective support mechanisms. Through these changes, authorities and their partners aim to build a system tailored to each child, capable of responding to the complexities of their lives and providing real opportunities for long-term development, inclusion, and protection.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
