This report presents the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations of an evaluation of the child care and deinstitutionalisation reforms in seven countries in the Europe and Central Asia Region (Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Tajikistan). The report offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of child protection systems and the transition from institutional care to family- and community-based alternatives. It highlights key achievements, lessons learned, and best practices, while also addressing the areas where further improvements are needed to ensure that every child can grow up in a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment.

The Changing the Way We Care℠ (CTWWC) Life of the Award Report highlights the initiative’s global efforts to promote safe, nurturing family care for children. Since 2018, CTWWC has been driving care reform in countries like Guatemala, Kenya, and Moldova, while supporting smaller projects in Haiti and India.

Bune Practici de Asistență Parentală Profesionistă pentru Copiii cu Nevoi Complexe: Rezultatele analizei preliminare a literaturii de specialitate pentru pregătirea proiectului pilot privind asistența parentală profesionistă specializată în Republica Moldova rezumă cele mai bune practici internaționale în domeniul asistenței parentale profesioniste specializate,  și oferă perspective și recomandări esențiale  pentru dezvoltarea și extinderea asistenței parentale profesioniste specializate în Republica Moldova.

This report summarizes international best practices of specialized foster care and provides critical insights and recommendations for developing and scaling specialized foster care in Moldova.

This is a summary of a household survey conducted in Moldova by CTWWC to provide insights for policymakers and practitioners on the impacts of interventions to support reintegrating families and those at risk of separation. For Moldova, CTWWC adapted its survey tool to fit the local context by adjusting terminology and phrasing of some questions and responses, and removing questions that were not relevant.

CCF Moldova conducted a comprehensive financial analysis of foster care services for children with disabilities to identify financial gaps for current foster carers and financial impediments that deter placement of children with disabilities in foster care. The report provides concrete recommendations to address gaps and cost implications of implementing new funding policies.

Serviciile alternative de tip familial sunt un element cheie în reforma sistemului de îngrijire a copilului în Moldova. Totuși, copiii cu dizabilități sunt, încă, sub-reprezentați în grupul de copii în familiile de asistenți parentali profesioniști și părinți-educatori din casele de copii de tip familie. Unul dintre obstacolele menționate de specialiștii în domeniu, de asistenții parentali profesioniști și părinții-educatori este sprijinul financiar insuficient, care limitează accesul copiilor cu dizabilități în servicii de tip familial.

Dr. Charles Nelson III, a Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience and Professor of Education at Harvard University, explains the role of experience in brain development, the effects of early profound deprivation on development, the history of institutional care, and an overview of institutional care at an international conference on 21 March 2024.

The Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) initiative conducted its Year 5 Household Survey as part of its commitment to building evidence around outcomes for children and families in the context of care reform. The second round of this survey in Kenya and Guatemala, and first round in Moldova, aimed to understand the impact of CTWWC interventions on children and families transitioning from residential care to family-based alternatives or receiving support to prevent separation.

The Moldova Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, in cooperation with CTWWC Moldova and local partner CCF Moldova, organized an international conference on March 21, 2024. More than 100 participants, representing the wide array of care reform actors and decision makers in the central and local government, NGOs, academia and international experts, reviewed findings of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project and national research conducted in 2023 on the potential for a moratorium on placing children 0-6 in institutional care.