Development of CSO’s for Foster Care in Albania
SOS Children’s Villages Albania
April 2018 - March 2021
Overall Objective
Support good practices and models of protection of children from abuse and violence, support alternative care, family strengthening, inclusive education and early childhood development with a special focus on vulnerable & minority groups.
Summary of the Project
The project positively contributed to child protection in Albania by improving the child welfare system through offering appropriate services for children without parental care in the targeted locations; in financial terms, it decreased the cost for a child in alternative care.
Activities
• Published vacancy & recruitment of project staff
• Project internal kick off meeting
• Establishing the project board
• Foster care visibility materials and TV promotion
• Development and implementation of the sub-granting procedures for CSO
• CSOs sensitise 390 adults/parents on foster care issues
• CSOs identify 120 volunteer adults /families
• CSOs support with the preparation of administrative procedures up to 60 adults / candidate families & support with registration 30 foster families
• Young people are trained in “Advocacy & Networking” “Child Rights” & “Foster Care”
• Youth exchange Albania – Kosovo
• National Conference “Foster Care is the Solution” with participation of 120 public, non-public actors
• Development of the methodology of training on foster care
• “Foster care” training with 70 participants, CSOs & key stakeholders
• Workshop for 15 local stakeholders
• Informative meeting on foster care for 15 candidate judges at the School of Magistrates
• “Learning by Doing” – 15 judges visit foster families / family based care models
• Study visit to Czech Republic
Expected Results
• By the end of 2020 local CSOs raise public awareness and increase the community collaboration and involvement as foster families in Durres, Tirana, Korca regions
• Improvement of foster care development by increasing the competences of social staff in Durres, Tirana and Korca regions
• The community is appropriately informed related to necessity of foster care development in Tirana, Durres, and Korça locations; at least 390 adults are well informed and sensitised by CSOs
• 120 candidate families express their will to be foster families to contribute to the wellbeing of children without parental care, identified by CSOs
• 60 candidate families fulfil the administrative criteria to be foster families, of which 30 families successfully start to pilot foster care services and register as foster care families
• The core team is established with 10 children/young people in alternative care
• Positive practices, lessons learned, last developments and expertise are shared at the National Conference “Foster Care is Solutions” with the participation of 120 public and non-public actors
• The level of expertise and capacities for professional responses regarding foster care issues is increased for at least 70 social staff and key stakeholders working at the local level
• In 3 pilot municipalities, the special register of foster families is developed and will begin to function regularly
• At least 10 judges have built their capacity to work on social aspects/procedures of foster care issues
• At least 15 local staff apply new knowledge received after the study visit in one region/country with good practices in foster care
Erol Akdag
erol.akdag@eeas.europa.eu
