Description
The project aims to strengthen the Romanian NGO sector in the child protection field, to bring children's rights on the public policy agenda and ensure the inclusion of children’s rights in all public policies in Romania. Focused on enhancing the Federation’s tools, capacity, expertise and experience to promote and monitor Children's Rights, the project will create the necessary tool-sets to strengthen the cooperation and to enhance the visibility of the NGOs for Child Protection in Romania. Approximately 78 NGO’s working with children will be actively involved in four working groups, focusing on particular themes, issues or processes related to child rights, monitoring children situation, collecting and share data, experiences and good practices and building the federation capacity to advocate for the most vulnerable children. The activities are targeting, on one hand, to increase the know-how and the fundraising skills of the nonprofit organizations and, on the other hand, to raise the awareness and confidence of the public in the NGOs sector, from the Protection of Children’s Rights perspective.
Summary of project results
The project contributed to the development of Federation's members and capacity building of their staff in providing quality social services for children in vulnerable situations. The project contributed to optimising the visibility of the Federation as well as to improving communication, PR and fundraising skills of its members, through different kinds of activities. Moreover, the Federation has strengthened internal and external communication and collaboration with its members and other stakeholders active in promoting children’s in Romania and abroad. Thus, four regional meetings with its members and a number of meetings with NGOs and stakeholders were held, aiming at developing and supporting initiatives in the field of child protection. Among these, the legislative proposal for the establishment of the Ombudsman for Children was one of the most notable advocacy initiatives carried out during the project. 135 professionals were engaged in thematic working groups, on several topics such as: Social services for children, Capacity building for FONPC members, Education and dropout prevention, Social inclusion of children and young people from disadvantaged groups, Friendly justice for minors. These groups will continue to have a critical role in sharing information and in developing advocacy initiatives within FONPC on the long term. An electronic public NGO database and a virtual library were created on the new platform of the Federation, in order to increase the involvement of stakeholders. A "Report on the situation of children in Romania" was drafted in preparation of the Alternative Report for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. On international level, FONPC has co-organized the 14th ISPCAN European Regional Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect and the Youth Forum; both the project and the Federation benefited of high international visibility. Also, during the Children's Rights Festival, FONPC organized an event to promote models of good practice implemented by its NGO members.
Summary of bilateral results