Tutelage authorities can take children in difficulty from biological family by force

The tutelage authorities have the right to take the children from the biological family by force if they consider that the children are in an imminent danger. In such cases, the prosecutor must be informed within 24 hours, while the children can be placed under any form of temporary guardianship for at most 72 hours. These and other stipulations have been included in the new framework-regulations for protecting children in difficulty. Under the document, in the given cases the tutelage authority must immediately inform the Social Assistance and Family Protection Division, which, for its part, will entrust the social assistant from the territorial-administrative unit where the child lives with the task to investigate the case. Individual protection plans are worked out for every child apart. If the child cannot be maintained or reintegrated into the family, he is entrusted to the extended family, family friends or professional parental assistants. The child can be also placed in a family-type children’s home, in a temporary accommodation centre and in a residential childcare institution if there is no other solution. The regulations concerning the child placement decision making are stipulated in the same document. Within three months of the moment when the child was accommodated in a residential childcare institution, the Social Assistance and Family Protection Division must reconsider the placement decision. The next reviews will be carried out depending on the necessity, but at least once in six months. The framework-regulations stipulate the functions of the territorial commissions for the protection of children in difficulty. They will act as consultants under district or municipal councils. A commission of this kind was set up in the municipality in Balti by a Government Decision. The framework-regulations were approved by the Government on October 31, 2007 and published in the Official Gazette on November 16.