Description
There is still a considerably high number of children placed in institutional care (IC) in the Czech Republic (according to statistic of Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs there had been 6524 children who have judicially ordered IC by the 31st of December 2013, while there are also other grounds on which children are placed there). The number of judicial decisions ordering IC does not decrease significantly either. On the contrary, the number of decisions on revocation IC remains very low, roughly a half of children placed in IC are not revocated until they become adults. The project aims to reduce the number of children in institutional care (IC) and the number of decisions ordering IC as well as to ensure that children’s´ rights in IC are strictly respected. The aim of the project is to raise legal awareness of children in IC or endangered by IC and child welfare officers.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to contribute to lowering the number of children placed in institutional care and to ensure that their rights, once they are in the institution, are respected. The premise of the project was that the key laws in the area have already been adopted and in order to ensure their effective functioning, professionals in the area as well as children must be well informed about the rights of children and means of their protection. At the beginning of realization of the project, we established cooperation with Vteřina poté, an organization constiting mainly of young adults that have left institutional care. Together with Vteřina poté, we provided legal and social counseling to children in institutional care and we organized workshops in institutions, which informed children about their rights in an interactive and participatory form. we then wrote a manual for children, whose aim is to inform children about their rights and means of their protection in an accessible manner. At the Ministry of Social Affairs, we have gained accreditatio for an 8 hour seminar for employees of the child protection agency about the rights of children, which we then orgaized in five regions with the highest number of children in institutional care. To increase the capacity of lawyers in the area of children’s rights, we also organized four seminars for barristers, trainees and students of law. One of the positive outcomes of the project is new established cooperation with Vteřina poté, which will also continue after the realization of the project. We also cooperated and will continue to cooperate on number of advocacy activities in cooperation with the Commitee on the Rights of the Child under the Council of Human Rights of the Government, such as promoting the unification of system of care for children, advocacy for establishment of child ombudsman and for abolishing the possibility of institutionalizing children younger than seven years.
Summary of bilateral results