CONNECT – Create networks of support to strenghten families and prevent child abandonment in the Republic of Moldova

Practice details

Name	CONNECT – Create networks of support to strenghten families and prevent child abandonment in the Republic of Moldova
Country	Moldova
Programme Component	BACID Fund Call 2 (2019)
Year	2020
Priority Theme	Sustainable Development Goals"Sustainable Development Goals" is not in the list (EU Integrations, Sustainable City, Smart City, Inclusive City, Quality Management, Public Administration Reform, Digitalisation, Decentralisation) of allowed values for the "Priority Theme" property.
Topic
Implementing Organisations	CONCORDIA Social Projects has the lead, while implementation in Moldova is realised through CONCORDIA Moldova.
Partner Organisations	Three partner organisations support the implementation of the project: - County presidency and local municipalities from the counties Cantemir and Taraclia; - The Frühe Hilfen Netwrok from Austria
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Last update	23. 3. 2020 by Giebhart

Project description

The project focuses on developing a model of a public-private partnership for early intervention to prevent family separation and child abandonment. This partnership ensures access of families and children at risk to a network of integrated, complementary state and private provided social services. The model is inspired by the Austrian Frühe Hilfe Networks of early intervention (present as experts in the project) and is being implemented together with the county authorities of the Raions Cantemir and Taraclia in the Republic of Moldova.

Status

ONGOING

Objectives and results

The overall objective of the project is to ensure that, in a safe and empowering environment as outlined in the UN Guidelines , children can enjoy equal chances to reach their full potential in Moldovan society. This overall objective will be reached by the following three specific objectives:
(1) Enable local municipal authorities and civil society organisations to develop a model of public-private partnership network to strengthen families in order to prevent the unnecessary separation and placement of children in alternative care;
(2) Strengthen the capacity of children and families at risk, of professionals in the social field and local authorities representatives to exchange and cooperate support families in fulfilling their duties; and
(3) Support state duty bearers to adapt and implement models of promising practices from Austria and Romania in the communities of the Republic of Moldova.

Following results are expected to be achieved throughout the project:
- A model of public-private partnership to develop integrated, complementary models of supporting families at risk of separation inspired by the Frühe Hilfe netwroks in Austria (a document explaining the model);
- A road map on how the model can be implemented in a raion in the Republic of Moldova (a document explaining the road map);
- At least 10 duty bearers from central, regional and local level to be involved in workshops, peer exchanges and the discussion of the model (list with institutions and names)
- At least 50 representatives of different families at risk to be consulted (through visit and focus-groups) in the process of developing the model. (indications of location and specific risk of the families)
- At least 20 representatives of civil society representatives to be consulted through workshops, face-to-face interviews, focus groups and study visits. (list with institutions and names)
-A realistic list of relevant calls for funding relevant , including brif guidance on how to approach them, (with focus on ADA, EU, UN and relevant foundations with country programmes that include Moldova).

Implemented activities

In the months January and March, a study visit of the Austrian and Romanian experts to the raions Cantemir (24.02) and Taraclia (25.02) took place.
During two larger meetings hosted by the authorities of the two raions took place and both the guests and the local municipalities:
- Presented the status-quo of children and families in need of early intervention
- Discussed the Austrian model of early intervention “Frühe Hilfen”
- Visited relevant projects of the Municipality and of CONCORDIOA Moldova in the region and
- Discuss recommendations for strengthening the services of early intervention in the region.
More than 60 representatives of the authorities and NGOs active in the region attended the two events.

In addition to these two activities, two relevant meetings took place in the office of CONCORDIA Moldova in Chisinau:
- 24.02 - A meeting with representatives of the Moldavian Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Austrian Development Agency in Moldova, Frühe HIlfen, CONCORDIA Romania and CONCORDIA Moldova to discuss the challenges faced by the Moldavian government to develop networks of early intervention and
- 26.02 - A meeting of the CONCORDIA Moldova team with the Austrian experts to discuss the recommendations for a possible model of early intervention to be developed by CONCORDIA Moldova and its partners in Moldova.

The project will be finalised by the beginning of May. Further activities planned are: the focus groups with families (in March), the exercise of modelling (in April) and the identification of possible funding sources (end of April).

Further information and contact

Contact person: Raluca Verweijen-Slamnescu – International Director of Programmes CONCORDIA Social Projects,
Email: raluca.verweijen-slamnecsu@concordia.or.at
Tel: 0043 650 27 80 854