The survey „The needs of children, professional parental assistants, parent educators and specialists providing protection to children at risk”conducted by Centre of Investigations and Consultation „SocioPolis” aims at revealing the needs of children left behind and of specialists in charge with their social protection, in order to help the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family (MLSPF) to strengthen the knowledge and qualification of the staffproviding social services to children left behind.
The specific objectives of the research are directed towards the following aspects:
- Effects of foster care (professional parental assistance and family type children’s homes) on child’s personality, including his education, health and social integration;
- Revealing issues and challenges ( in communication, socialization, conflict resolution etc.) faced by children placed in foster care;
- Identifying mechanisms by which children placed in family-type homes or benefiting from professional parental assistance overcome difficult situations they experience;
- Establishing the needs and challenges faced by specialists involved in the protection of children left behind (professional parental assistants, foster parents from family-type children homes, the staff of day care or temporary placement centers specialists dealing with issues related to children’s protection employed within territorial social assistance structures).
The survey data will be used to submit recommendations to the MLSPF, on the basis of identified needs in order to strengthen the knowledge and qualification of people providing social services to children left behind.