A month ago, Hope and Homes for Children and Lumos had the pleasure to jointly present our reflections, technical insights and practical recommendations on how the EU can support the reform of the child care and protection systems in the context of EU accession process in a DG NEAR EU Neighborhood & Enlargement webinar. Child institutionalisation is a symptom of a care system that is not working. The EU played a vital role in supporting these reforms in previous accession countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria. Taking stock of these experiences and lessons learned is key to identifying components for the success of care reform in the enlargement countries. As Moldova and Ukraine embark on a new stage of the accession process and negotiations with the EU, we will continue our efforts to support and advocate for a comprehensive reform of the child care and protection systems in the context of EU enlargement. #AlwaysFamiliesNeverOrphanages 💛
Today, we were honoured to contribute to a DG NEAR EU Neighborhood & Enlargement internal webinar on child protection and care reform in enlargement countries, along with our Lumos colleagues. Colleagues from Ukraine and Moldova, implementing the reform of the child care systems amidst recent crises, including the war in Ukraine and the subsequent inflow of refugees, shared their insights, and colleagues in Romania and Bulgaria discussed synergies between civil society and the EU supporting care reform in those countries. The EU accession process is a great opportunity to accelerate and promote care reform. These discussions unfold right after the 2023 Enlargement Report adoption, assessing the progress made by the Enlargement countries in aligning with the EU standards. #AlwaysFamiliesNeverOrphanages #SafeFromHarm #Charity #Support
