The mayor’s office or the municipal divisions or specialized sections in case of municipalities are the first authorities to which the mothers or future mothers who are in a difficult situations should go for help. These will take a decision on the mother’s placement at the maternal center. In the municipality of Chisinau, the mothers are placed at the maternal center of the Municipal Placement and Rehabilitation Center for Children of an Early Age. There is also a national center for children of an early age.
Contacted by IPN, Valentina Canariov, of the Chisinau Child Rights Protection Division, said that after a request is made, the division analyses the situation and takes the placement decision. In emergencies, the application is analyzed within several hours. If the maternal center in Chisinau cannot accommodate a mother in a situation of risk (five places), this can be placed in other similar institutions opened by NGOs active in the area of child rights protection. Such situations are yet seldom and it is very important for the mothers in difficulty to seek help so as to avoid child abandonment. The services of the maternal center are free.
A person can stay at the maternal center in Chisinau for at most six months. The period can be yet extended in particular cases. When leaving the center, the mothers and children are monitored for another six months. A part of the beneficiaries return to the biological family together with the child. Where alcohol is abused in the family or there is domestic violence, the women do not want to return and cope on their own. The children can be placed in abandonment prevention services, like the day service for children aged between four months and three years. If the child is not breastfed, this can be left in the care of the educator during the day and the mother can go to work.
Valentina Canariov said the work of social assistants is difficult, especially in the case of mothers who come from residential institutions and do not have life habits and face difficulties in ensuring their financial independence. Even if they do not have a specialty and work experience, many of these mothers refuse to work for a low salary and remain unemployed.
These can apply for benefit intended for socially deprived families and for lump-sum social welfare from the municipal population support fund.
Since the maternal center of the Municipal Placement and Rehabilitation Center for Children of an Early Age was opened, 98 mothers and 120 children benefitted from assistance there, by September 14, 2006.
Those interested can go to the Chisinau Child Rights Protection Division located at 3 Alexandru Vlahuta or contact it on 022 242702, e-mail: dmpdcchisinau@mail.ru.
The persons can also go to the district divisions – Botanica: 10 Teilor St: 022 763586, e-mail: directia.botanica@mail.ru; Buiucani: 2 M. Viteazu St: 022295027, e-mail: dpdcbuiucani@yahoo.com; Centru: 43 Bulgara St: 022546515; e-mail: dpdccentru@gmail.com; Ciocana: 16 Mircea cel Batran St: 022 331935; e-mail: dpdcciocana@gmail.com ; Rascani: 27/1 S. Lazo St, tel.: 022293467. e-mail: dpdcriscani@gmail.com.
