Contains practical tools and policy guidance for family and child welfare policy makers and practitioners. Relevant topics include gatekeeping, redirecting resources into preventive and family based services, and standards of care.

This publication provides an account of historical processes in Spain and Italy which have led to a transformation of social child protection policies and an abandonment of the most widely-used mechanism of social exclusion, namely institutionalization.

This report is the result of a seminar held in Kazakhstan 2004. It focuses on social welfare sector reform, and includes topics such as expanding legislative agendas and financing frameworks, as well as gate keeping. Case studies of reform processes from Romania, Tajikistan and Serbia are discussed. Includes conference agenda.

Practical guidance, case examples, and tools to assess, monitor, and evaluate child protection services and facilitate reform away from institutionalization of children.

Country report of Russia on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

Summary of a workshop to address age assessment, identification and reception of separated children to promote guardianship, family tracing and reunification. Focuses on Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

This paper examines the negative impact of institutional care in central eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltics region. It promotes community-based care alternatives and provides statistics. It also includes a list of useful resources addressing orphaned and vulnerable children.

An account of the massive child welfare crisis in Romania which erupted from a movement in Romania during its communist regime to institutionalize thousands of children. This paper also reports the efforts of NGO’s, PVO’s and the international communities to reverse the damage after the fall of communism and also where the efforts need to be directed.

Analyzes discrimination against minorities in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Suggests projects to counter discrimination and includes points for good practices in dealing with prejudice.

This report reviews childcare policy for separated children in the Central Europe and the Balkan States. It emphasizes the need to establish training, resources and effective procedures in order to meet the standards outlined in the Statement of Good Practice. Data from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia is presented.