200 foster families for children without parental care, Spahiu: From institutions towards family care

Children who cannot temporarily stay with their biological family will have more opportunities to be placed in a family environment, as part of the alternative care reform.

The Council of Ministers has approved four by-laws defining how the system of professional foster families will function, from their selection and training through to certification and monitoring during the period of care for the child.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Klodiana Spahiu, during a visit to the Special Centre for Children aged 4–14, said the objective is the gradual transition from institutional care to family care.

Under the new package, the aim is to create a network of about 200 professional foster families across the country.

The families will undergo a training and certification process before taking a child into their care, and will then be monitored continuously.

“We must be sure that the families are trained and that the child feels well,” Spahiu said, stressing that care will also be adapted to each child’s individual needs.

Foster families will receive monthly financial support, while an additional payment of 12,000 lek per month is envisaged for the children for their needs.

The package also envisages a fund of 35,000 lek per year for school expenses and other needs connected with the child’s upbringing and development.

Another element of the reform is the creation of a national electronic register, where data will be administered on the children who benefit from alternative care and the families who take them in.

The authorities also envisage regular monitoring and inspection of foster families, while seeking to preserve relations with the biological family where this is assessed to be in the child’s best interest.

The new package is part of the process of deinstitutionalising social services, with the aim that children without parental care have the opportunity to grow up in a family environment instead of staying in care institutions.