Government representatives, experts and professionals from the Baltic Sea Region including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Sweden and wider Europe gathered at a two-day expert meeting in Tallinn, Estonia and, together, endorsed a set of recommendations and action plan on alternative care and family support on 6 May 2015. The Recommendations and Action Plan highlight the urgency of integrating services for children and families at risk, making services accessible at a low threshold, ensuring timely interventions and longer-term follow-up services, and customizing services to meet children’s individual needs. and accessible at a low threshold. The recommendations also emphasize the need to prioritize the prevention of family separation and the provision of family support in the region. The experts agreed that “services for family support, child protection and alternative care constitute strategic investments in children’s safety, well-being and development and these, in turn, are a condition for a safe and secure region as well as a sustainable and prosperous society.”
