This article explores the experiences of non-Roma foster parents who raise Roma children in the Czech Republic, where Roma children persistently remain over-represented in institutional care. Drawing on the Critical Race Theory and thematic narrative analysis, the study examines how foster parents navigate issues of ethnicity, stigma and institutional bias.

This BBC News article reports that the forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia has been classified by the United Nations as a crime against humanity.

Această evaluare națională examinează contextul, calitatea și eficacitatea programelor de educație parentală pentru îngrijitori din Republica Moldova dintr-o perspectivă transformatoare de gen, cu un accent deosebit pe contribuția lor la prevenire

In 2025, UNICEF and UNFPA conducted a national review of parenting programmes in Moldova to assess their role in addressing violence against children and women and to inform more effective, gender-transformative interventions. The study provides evidence to support the development of a Theory of Change and evaluation framework for strengthening prevention efforts.

This study explores why deinstitutionalisation has not always achieved its intended results in the Czech Republic by examining the experiences of practitioners involved in care reform. It finds that conflicting views—between paternalistic approaches and rights-based perspectives—create misunderstandings and challenges in implementing reforms, highlighting the need for stronger change management and collaboration among professionals.

Across Ukraine, families are living with daily uncertainty. Freezing temperatures, power cuts, and ongoing bombardment place a huge strain on parents and caregivers, as well as on frontline responders.

A Balkan Insight investigation highlights that the Czech Republic’s child protection system is struggling to safeguard children at risk due to systemic problems including a culture that has historically tolerated corporal punishment, uneven implementation of protections across regions, gaps in cooperation among social services, police, and schools, and insufficient training and resources for professionals to detect and prevent violence against children.

This article investigates the deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities in times of armed conflict, taking the situation in Ukraine as a case study. It argues that a proper implementation of the right to independent living involves adopting a human rights-based approach that considers all the socio-economic rights of children with disabilities with due regard for the knowledge and expertise existing within families.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine nears its fourth year, thousands of children have been orphaned, wounded, displaced, or forced into adult roles, with their lives unfolding in hospitals, temporary homes, and courtrooms far from the front lines.

This chapter, in the book Children and Family Social Work, reviews the reform of children’s care systems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, tracing the historical reliance on large-scale residential institutions under communism and the subsequent shift toward community-based alternatives after the Soviet Union’s collapse. While institutionalization has significantly declined and community services have expanded, challenges remain in funding, workforce development, and preventing family separation while protecting children from harm.