D. Michailidou: We are changing the page on child protection

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs aims to define with clear criteria and strict specifications the conditions for the establishment and operation of Child Protection and Care Units by Legal Entities of Private Law of a non-profit character, with the draft ministerial decision, which was made public. page of paidi.gov.gr, which will last until March 13, 2022.

According to the draft ministerial decision, the Child Protection and Care Units must provide adequate psychosocial support and access to all levels of education, ensure the rights of children, so that they can participate and play an active role in matters. concerning them and mainly to take care in practice for the placement of minors in a suitable family environment.

As it is typically stated, “the operating standards of the Child Protection and Care Units are part of the strategy of deinstitutionalization, ie the transition from the institutional protection model to family support and, where this is not possible, to family-type alternative care, such as foster care. adoption and semi-autonomous living for beneficiaries over 15 years of age, as shaped by the principles of equal participation, social inclusion, non-discrimination, choice and control of life, the right to family reunification and the right to support children, according to their special needs and characteristics “.

Speaking to APE-MPE, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Domna Michailidou, states in this regard: “We are finally changing the page on child protection. Until today, there was no framework for child protection units-orphanages and, to put it simply, there was no a framework that describes what the places where children grow up should be like when they are away from their families, who should take care of them, depending on their age, and what procedures need to be done for these children to find a family. In addition, if something happened to a child in a structure, there was no permission to impose a penalty! is only that we build the framework, to provide quality services and there is substantial control, but mainly that we set the conditions to all children from institutions. We arrange the orphanages in such a way that they intend to close! To enable all children to grow up in a completely safe and protected family environment. We therefore call on the competent bodies, as well as the citizens, to contribute to this public consultation, so that together we can ensure the smooth operation of each structure, the optimal provision of services and the fastest possible deinstitutionalization of children “.

Provisions for family rehabilitation and the Individual Care Plan

Specifically, with the provisions promoted, “the Child Protection and Care Unit, which undertakes the protection of the child, has the responsibility of compiling, finalizing, registering in the Special Register of Minors and updating the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan of the child within the time period the law.

The drafting and finalization of the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan is based solely on the best interests of the child, which, according to the principle of deinstitutionalization, is consistent with options that explicitly aim at the child leaving the Child Protection and Family Care Unit and the family. restoration. The stay of the child in the Unit should be as short as possible with an explicitly defined re-evaluation time horizon, following a specialized intervention plan to support the biological family, where possible and of the child.

The children placed in the Unit are informed about their family rehabilitation prospects, in a way that they can understand accordingly their level of maturity, as reflected in the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan by the professionals, for their support options and are encouraged to express their thoughts. and their questions, which professionals must take into account and capture as they are in the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan of the child.

Professionals should inform the child of any procedures honestly, in a language and style that is appropriate for each child depending on age, maturity and circumstances, using alternative communication methods in the case of a child with a disability and, in any case, capturing the child’s opinion in the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan and acting in the best interests of the child.

The Unit, immediately after the placement of the child, has the obligation to inform within 30 days the social service of the Municipality of residence of the child, in order to immediately start the process of support and rehabilitation of his family.

The social service of the Child Protection and Care Unit in collaboration with the social services of the Municipality or the Region elaborates and implements a plan of structured interventions, through which the normalization of the malfunctions and the improvement of the living conditions of the biological family of the child are attempted, in order his return to it to be done in a safe way for his physical and psychosocial development.

During this period, the same service ensures that the child continues to communicate with his biological parents and the wider family environment, if the placement decisions of the child allow it and in the service of his best interest, taking care of the explicit recording the frequency, the content of the contact, as well as the consequent development of the relationship in the Individual Family Rehabilitation Plan and in the Individual Care Plan of the child.

After the expiration of a period of three months during which the Unit intervenes for the immediate return of the child to the biological family, the family rehabilitation of the child is sought, through the institution of adoption and / or adoption, following the relevant update of the Individual Family Plan. .

The competent services of the Child Protection and Care Units are obliged to ensure the continuation of the communication with the biological family, under the conditions provided by the court decisions and after the placement of the child in foster care. The communication of the child with his / her biological family can be suspended, after a relevant suggestion of the social worker of the Child Protection and Care Unit, when it is deemed that it is not in his / her best interest.

The Child Protection and Care Unit, which undertakes the protection of the child, has the responsibility of preparing an Individual Care Plan, which should record all the actions that will ensure the safe physical and psychosocial development of the child for as long as he remains in the Unit.

For the elaboration of the Individual Care Plan, the individual needs of the child are taken into account, which concern his physical and mental health, his sensitivities, skills and interests, the wishes and the opinion of the child depending on the age and the maturity. and any other special feature of his personality.

The person in charge of the Individual Care Plan is the social worker of the Unit, who for the elaboration of the plan must cooperate and consult all the professionals related to the child.

The Individual Care Plan outlines the needs and necessary actions to cover them individually for each child, especially in terms of the following aspects:

(a) the promotion of health, indicatively on the basis of medical advice relating to the special needs of the child, such as specific medication and proper nutrition;

b) ensuring the smooth development of the child, indicatively on the basis of the social monitoring reports of the child concerning his psychosocial development and the development of skills, through special therapies, such as speech therapy, psychotherapy and / or occupational therapy;

c) the support of the child’s educational needs, indicatively on the basis of monitoring his / her educational performance;

d) to take into account special needs related to the identity of the child, such as gender, religion, language, origin, etc .;

e) the support of the child’s communication with his natural parents, with his siblings, as well as with any other person of his family, relatives or friends, the specific interventions for his return to his biological family, as well as the evaluation the quality of contact and the evolution of the relationship with the biological family,

f) the strengthening of the specific interests of the child, indicatively on the basis of the assessment of his sociability and any other report that is considered important for the condition of the child and his living in the Unit.

The observance of the Individual Care Plan and any other relevant document is done with respect to the principles of accuracy, security, confidentiality, according to the current legislation on personal data protection. The Individual Care Plan is registered in the relevant Register of the Information System of Adoption and Adoption and is accessible to the social counselor, in the context of exercising his supervisory duties “.

Protection against child abuse

Among other things, the promoted provisions stipulate that the Child Protection and Care Units are obliged “to take care of the prevention and timely treatment of cases of abuse or neglect of the minors who are under their protection.

In this context, they are obliged to apply the procedures provided in the current legislation for dealing with incidents of child abuse, which are either reported or fall into the perception of the employees.

In each Unit, the child protection officer is appointed, who is the recipient of the abuse reports and has the responsibility to immediately inform the competent authorities and the administration of the Unit, as defined by law.

At the same time, the Child Protection and Care Units ensure the establishment of effective procedures for exercising the right to submit complaints to supervisors or independent authorities, which are described in their rules of procedure, when they consider that rights are violated or complaints / opinions are not heard “.

Source: AMPE