The relevant bodies want the specialized municipal children’s house to be reorganized given that the residential childcare system is being reformed. The issue was discussed by representatives of the Chisinau City Hall, the British Embassy in Chisinau and of the CCF (Child, Community, Family) Moldova Project in a roundtable meeting themed “Sustainable Partnerships – Factor of Success in Ensuring the Protection of Children’s Rights” on October 27, Info-Prim Neo reports. The specialized municipal children’s house is a residential institution that can accommodate up to 100 children of preschool age. The head of the Chisinau Child Rights Protection Division Svetlana Chifa said the institution must not be closed as a result of the reform of the residential childcare system, but should be transformed into a crèche-type day center - an early childhood development center. “The main causes of child institutionalization include the inefficiency of the system for meeting the needs of the child and family, parent irresponsibility, poverty, and the poor health of the child,” Svetlana Chifa added. According to official reports, the number of institutionalized children in Chisinau during the last nine years has decreased from 1,500 to 750, while of children abandoned at birth during the last few years fell by over 85%.