Conferința de închidere a proiectului „TEAM-UP: Progres în calitatea îngrijirii alternative a copiilor”

PRESS RELEASE

TEAM-UP: Progress in the quality of alternative care for children - the largest project in the field of social services, with a funding of over 500 million euros

The Ministry of Family, Youth, and Equal Opportunities, through the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption(NAPCRA) organized on December 18, 2023, at the Victoria Palace, the closing conference of the project TEAM-UP: Progress in the quality of alternative care for children, code 127169.
The project was co-financed from the European Social Fund, through the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020, and implemented by NAPCRA as a beneficiary, in partnership with the 47 General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection at the level of the counties and Bucharest districts.
TEAM-UP: Progress in the Quality of Alternative Care for Children is the largest social services project, with a funding of over 500 million euros, and also one of the most important in terms of investment in human resources.
The results of this project are a success as they generated the professionalization of over 4,000 foster carers in our country. We want to do more good together for the children in the protection system and attract as many European funds as possible, stated the Minister of Family, Youth, and Equal Opportunities, Natalia-Elena Intotero.
Our goal at the level of the Government, the ministries, is to introduce new technologies and digitalization to support specialists. But these instruments will never replace good people, exceptional professionals, stated the Minister of Research, Bogdan Ivan.
Im glad that the largest social assistance project is dedicated to children. The digital platform is also important, but I think what is even more important is that we have several thousand people who have improved their professional skills as essential for the system upgrading, emphasized Alexandru-Mihai Ghigiu, Head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery.
The projects goal was to increase the quality of the social assistance system and the number of foster carers at the community level, by introducing instruments and procedures and improving the competence level of professionals in the system.
The event was attended by the Minister of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, Natalia-Elena Intotero, the Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization, Bogdan Ivan, the Head of the Prime Ministers Chancellery, Alexandru-Mihai Ghigiu, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, Teodora Preoteasa, the president of the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption(NAPCRA), Rareș-Petru Achiriloaie, the president of CNASR Diana Cristea, partners from international organizations and the associative environment, respectively officials from the local public administration.
Project results
⮚ A developed foster care network has been created. DGASPCs across the country have recruited, trained, certified, and hired nearly 4,000 foster carers. During this period, they cared for more than 7,000 children.
⮚ Salary expenses related to the remuneration of foster carers in the system from 2014 to 2018, as well as those newly hired as of 2019, were paid;
⮚ A digital e-learning platform dedicated to foster carers was established. The newly created platform will be instrumental for the educational process by acquiring active and autonomous learning processes, increasing the interest of foster carers in training, and creating new formal or non-formal, individual and group learning environments.
⮚ 15,000 tablets were purchased and distributed to the entire foster care network, as well as other professionals, to access the digital platform. Both the purchased tablets and the digital platform can be used as resources for continual professional development for foster carers and other professionals.
⮚ 17 working procedures were developed and disseminated, as well as the code of ethics for the foster carer. These procedures were developed taking into account the relevant legal framework for the theme of each elaborated procedure, following a process that included two rounds of consultations with DGASPC representatives from the foster care services.
⮚ A professional training program for all foster carers was carried out, the first of its kind. The content was structured on 8-course modules and included aspects related to the integration of the child into the foster care family and social life, assisting children in the educational process, and ensuring a harmonious relationship with the natural or adoptive family.
Training courses were organized for over 11,000 foster carers. The professional training courses were organized for all existing attested foster carers in the special protection system, regardless of whether they were recruited within the project or were part of the existing network at the time the project started.

Additional Information:

By late September 2023, almost 16,000 children were in the care of approximately 11,300 foster carers across the country. The foster carer is the person certified under the law, to provide through the activity carried out at his home, care, and education necessary for the harmonious development of the children in foster care.
The total value of the project: 2,653,592,612.28 lei
The amount of EU co-financing: 2,572,935,563.11 lei
Contract duration: 120 months (January 2014-December 2023).

Source: Gov