The joint Meeting of the Committee on Human Rights,  Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare and Gender Equality Committee was dedicated to the campaign “Every child needs a family”, jointly implemented by the Government of Montenegro, European Union and UNICEF.

Campaign “Every child needs a family” is being implemented with the aim of promoting every child’s right to live in a loving family environment, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child signed by Montenegro, as well as raising the awareness on importance of foster families.

In addition to members of four parliament committees, representatives of the UNICEF and Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the meeting was attended by Professor Kevin Brown, PhD, the Chair of Forensic Psychology of the University of Nottingham, who presented the key findings and facts on negative effects of institutional accommodation for children.

As Mr Brown emphasised, according to the UN guidelines, no child under three years old must be accommodated in the institution.  The reason for this is that, according to researches conducted during the last decades, children accommodated in institutions during very young age, are exposed to risk of psychological, emotional and physical development delay, which can be substituted by care in a loving family environment. Moreover, there is a bigger possibility these children to become delinquents, bullies and bad parents. 

Furthermore, Mr Brown pointed out that the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare cannot conduct the process by itself, but it is necessary other ministries to be included in the process, primarily Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. In addition, it is necessary to take care on prevention, i.e. abandonment of children in maternity hospital wards. 

UNICEF initiated the action all around the world with the aim of preventing accommodation of children in institutions.  Three-month long media Campaign launched by the Government of Montenegro is aimed at constructing the network of foster parents in Montenegro. In terms of that, during the last year, the Government adopted the Strategy for the development of foster care in Montenegro (2012-2016) aimed at constructing the system for protection of the children and young without parental care, development of foster care as a form of protection of a child which would provide overall satisfaction of needs of children and parents as well as optimal development of their potentials.

Currently, according to official data, 320 children are accommodated in foster care families, out of which 14 in non-related families. Around 160 children are currently accommodated in Children's Home "Mladost" in Bijela, which provides accommodation for children aged one month to adulthood, deprived of parental care.

Having on mind that the accommodation in institutions is three times more expensive than foster care, the special attention should be paid to professional foster care, which will be funded by the state. Mr Brown emphasises as a good option related foster care, which also needs financial support of the state.

Slovenia, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom are the only four European states that adhere to the principle of the UN that no child under the age of three years shall be placed in an institution.

During the meeting, it was stressed that, contrary to scientific findings that indicate the harmful effects of institutional accommodation for the child, UNICEF survey on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of citizens in relation to foster care, conducted in December 2012, shows that 58 percent of Montenegrins consider the accommodation of children in the institution as a good solution for children without parental care.