CHILD PROTECTION

Given the continuing high inflow of children into institutions, long-term sustainable change, including institutional closure, is not possible without focusing on the prevention of abandonment. 

ARK works in partnership with Government Child Protection Departments (CPD) to prevent children entering institutional care. ARK’s prevention work includes:

• Direct intervention: ARK works with local NGOs on outreach work, linking at-risk families with key support services.
• Support at maternity wards: many institutionalised children are abandoned at maternity wards immediately after birth. In Bulgaria, ARK has placed a CPD social worker in the Stara Zagora maternity ward to support at risk mothers.
• Improving CPD gate-keeping: ARK is increasing the capacity of the CPD to work with families on the verge of abandoning their child to support the family and / or look for a form of alternative care before allowing the child to enter an institution. 
• Providing one-off emergency grants: these are made only in emergency situations where a financial contribution can prevent a child being institutionalised (e.g. to cover a child’s medical expenses or to ensure the child’s family home is properly heated in winter).