Prague, Feb 28 (CTK) – The Czech Republic is failing to modernise and reform care of endangered and abandoned children, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (Social Democrats, CSSD) has told CTK.
She said the “Soviet system,” which prefers institutional care to prevention and support for own and substitute families, and also the interests of the staff of institutes to children’s interests still functions in the country.
“The Czech Republic is exceptionally conservative in its attitude to changes concerning institutional care for endangered children. We are probably the last country in Europe that has not yet fundamentally changed the system. An actually old Soviet system still functions in this country,” Marksova said.
Experts agree on that the best environment for a child is a family, whether its own, or a substitute one.
The Czech Republic is criticised for a high number of children in institutes and for the fragmentation of care of endangered children, which falls under the labour and social affairs, education and health ministries.
Marksova tried to unite the system and wanted to sign a memorandum with the health and education ministries, but it eventually did not happen.
She said “money is lacking for preventive services that would work with families as long as they keep together. On the other hand, big sums are spent on the big institutes.”
Some members of the social committee of the Chamber of Deputies support infant institutes and many of them resolutely disagree with their abolition, saying children need specialist help, Marksova said.
She said some lawmakers also criticise professional foster care.
Marksova said the institutes are big employers. In regions or their parts with a high unemployment rate, the fear of joblessness prevails.
The staff’s interests are preferred to children’s interests, Marksova said.
According to a yearbook of the Education Ministry, 2336 people were employed in homes for children above three years of age in the 2015/16 school year. Ten years before, the facilities employed 3653 people with contracts making up 3403 full-time jobs.
“We often hear people from the child homes asking what their pedagogic workers would do if they were transferred under the Labour Ministry, whether they would retain all advantages, whether they would have a two-month holiday [like under the Education Ministry]. I would rather hear people asking how the children feel and what we can do for them,” Marksova said.
She said not all facilities would be closed if the care were reformed and not all people would lose work.
“Not all children who are now in institutes would definitely get to families, whether their own, or foster ones. Some form of collective institutional care will always be needed,” Marksova said.
“We will need the people who now work in the larger institutes in services for families, in out-patient services. We definitely need them, only a little bit different regime than how they function now,” Marksova said.
