CHILD — Children''s Inclusion by Learning and Developing

Romania (RO)

Project facts

Project promoter:
National Administration of Penitentiaries(RO)
Project Number:
RO-JUSTICE-0004
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€3,302,941
Other Project Partners
Targu Ocna Educational Center(RO)
Targu Ocna Town Hall(RO)
Programme:
Justice

More information

Description

The objective of the project is to facilitate the social reintegration of minors and youngsters by improving the education and specific assistance provided by the Târgu Ocna Educational Centre. The achievement of the project objective will be ensured by revamping and endowing the accommodation facilities (2 wings), medical facilities, workshops and spaces destined for the educational activities carried out at Târgu Ocna Educational Centre. As well, special programs for minors and youngsters executing educational measures (vocational trainings, development and implementing a multisensory stimulation program for minors and youngsters with ADHD and learning difficulties) will be implemented, working standards for providing psychiatric assistance to the above mentioned minors and youngsters will be developed, procedures for the management of violent and aggressive behavior of minors and youngsters will be drafted and implemented, the staff working with minors and youngsters executing an educational measure will be trained. Last but not least, a housing place designed for visits of the family members of the minors and youngsters will be set up and equipped and also a counselling methodology for families will be implemented.

A special concern of the project is the improvement of the situation of the Roma population and of other vulnerable groups. Through specific activities that are dedicated to the confined Roma minors and youngsters and other risk exclusion categories, family links will be created and new activities and programs for their social reinsertion will be developed and implemented.

Although the project does not have Donor project partners, the exchange of best practices will be facilitated through the organisation of study visits in Norway, as well as through the participation of Norwegian representatives and other foreign beneficiaries of Norway Grants at the project`s conferences, thus contributing at strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation.

Summary of project results

The project addressed correctional areas less explored so far, aiming at ensuring a full circuit of prison interventions over juvenile offenders accommodated at the Educational Centre of Târgu Ocna, with a special focus on Roma and other risk exclusion categories: better detention conditions, tighter links with their families and community, specialized educational programmes and mental health tools developed, professional staff trainings delivered. The detention places at EC Targu Ocna were modernized and renovated and a housing place made available by the Targu Ocna Town Hall was fully refurbished and equipped to accomodate juveniles and their families during 1 day leave from the Educational Centre.

6 educational and assistance programmes for juvenile offenders, including qualification courses, excursions and family meetings were developed and implemented, benefitting a total of 562 juvenile offenders, as follows:

  • The multisensory stimulation program for Roma and other vulnerable juveniles with ADHD and learning difficulties (128 beneficiaries);
  • The programme for emotional and behavioural education for Roma and other vulnerable juveniles (190 beneficiaries);
  • The remedial education program for Roma and other vulnerable juveniles (73 beneficiaries);
  • The study regarding the incidence and causes of school dropout focused on Roma and other vulnerable groups;
  • The standards of services for psychiatric assistance of the adolescents serving an educational measure;
  • The procedure for management of violent and aggressive behaviour of minors and youngsters serving an educational measure;
  • The guide for intervention in crisis situations;
  • The Methodology for the counselling of the families of Roma and other vulnerable minors and youngsters from EC Targu Ocna;
  • Qualification courses targeting 84 Roma and other vulnerable minors and youngsters for learning practical skills as barber (52 beneficiaries), sous-chef (12 beneficiaries) and pottery (20 beneficiaries);
  • 6 excursions and 2 camps for Roma and other vulnerable minors and youngsters (56 beneficiaries);
  • 31 family meetings and psychological counselling of the families of Roma and other vulnerable minors and youngsters from EC Targu Ocna.

On the one hand, some of these programmes addressed the learning gaps and deficiencies of juveniles confined at EC Targu Ocna, supporting them in continuing their education, while the others tackled the mental health issues and violence displayed by these adolescents, leading to specialized interventions having the best interest of minors at core. Moreover, Roma and other vulnerable juveniles from EC Targu Ocna benefitted from excursions and camps, having the opportunity to experience law-abiding ways of exploring and understanding the environment according to their age. The participation of juveniles in various qualification courses equipped them with necessary skills for a self-sustainable life after release, given that they qualified in areas with demand on the job market (e.g. sous-chef, barber). In order to keep the family ties during their confinement, the juveniles who displayed a good behavior at EC Targu Ocna benefitted from a one-day release from the Centre to meet their family and spend the night together at the City Hall’s housing place, where they also benefitted from psychological counselling.

Prison staff working with juveniles improved their skills and knowledge through specialized trainings, as follows:

  • 2 specialized trainings in the field of working with adolescents (20 participants);
  • 2 professional sessions in the field of working with juveniles deprived of their liberty (66 participants);
  • 1 training course in the area of counseling the children who suffered loss (10 participants);
  • 1 specialized training on "Social Teacher" (10 participants);
  • 20 training sessions on anger management to develop the skills of prison staff in their direct work with confined juveniles (424 participants).

The works for renovating and building 115 detention places at Targu Ocna Educational Centre continued after 30.04.2024 untill 31.12.2024, with funds from the national budget (€ 845,580.95), with its final reception on 18.02.2025. Likewise, the City Hall’s housing place was refurbished and fully equipped to accomodate family visits. 

The project contributed to Outcome 2 - Improved correctional services through the following targets and indicators:

  • Number of educational and assistance programs for juvenile offenders developed (Target = 3) - 6 educational and assistance programmes for juvenile offenders were developed, including a programme for emotional and behavioural education for the Roma confined persons and other vulnerable minors and youngsters;

  • Number of juvenile offenders undergoing educational and assistance programs (Target = 120) - 562 juvenile offenders underwent educational and assistance programmes such as visits with their family members, multisensory stimulation programme, emotional and behavioral education programme, remedial education programme, qualification programmes for learning practical skills (e.g. Sous-chef), camps;

  • Number of prison staff trained in anger management for working with minors and youngsters, centred on Roma (Target = 225) - 424 prison staff who work with minors and youngsters were trained in the anger management programme (373 male and 51 female);

  • Number of prison places set up in line with European standards (Target = 900) - Targu Ocna Educational Centre (115).

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.