Children separated from their parents and children in at-risk situations will have access to specialized services at the temporary placement center “Încredere” (Romanian for “Trust”), recently inaugurated in Taraclia. The children will be referred to the center by the District Directorate of Social Assistance and Family Protection (DASPF), until a permanent form of social protection is established, reports IPN.
The Încredere Center is one of the 40 social services developed as part of the project called “Civil society organizations act for better social services”, financed by the European Union, co-financed and implemented by the Soros Moldova Foundation, in partnership with the NGOs Keystone Moldova and Institutum Virtutes Civilis. The center has a capacity to accommodate 25 children. Besides accommodation, food and a safe environment, they will also enjoy the permanent assistance of a psychologist, pedagogue and medical assistant. The beneficiaries will be enrolled in school or kindergarten, they will be helped to master the school curriculum, form independent living skills and receive counseling and psychosocial rehabilitation.
The Taraclia District Council financed part of the repair work, procured the equipment and will continue to manage the Center. “This service is absolutely necessary. It will allow us to help many children in our district, that’s why we will continue to finance it. The Taraclia District Council has allocated 1.2 million lei for the repair and development works”, stated Lazari Dermenji, the vice president of the Taraclia district.
According to Galina Filipova, head of DASPF Taraclia, the social crises we are going through have affected many families in the at-risk groups, who are facing financial and social difficulties. The services of the Center will essentially improve the quality of life of the children separated from their parents.
“It is essential that the social protection system intervenes to help children in at-risk situations as soon as possible. For this, it is necessary for the authorities and civil society to have at their disposal the widest possible inventory of supportive instruments. The Soros Moldova Foundation supports, together with the European Union, the creation of appropriate services for children in different regions of the country. In this way, we contribute to the protection and rehabilitation of children and families in difficulty”, said Diana Teacă, evaluation and monitoring specialist at the Soros Moldova Foundation.
“For the European Union Delegation, cooperation with civil society is very important, especially with organizations that provide social services. The crises we have gone through – the pandemic, the energy crisis and the war, have made many people vulnerable, and vulnerable children especially need support. Here at the Center, 25 children will benefit from assistance. Conditions have been created for their placement, but the hard part is just beginning, because the service is to be provided in a high-quality and multidisciplinary manner”, said Victoria Neaga, project manager at the EU Delegation to Moldova.