Stronger civil society, safer childhoods: Supporting Moldova’s child care transformation
Project implementation period: February 1, 2026 – January 31, 2029
The project goal is to empower civil society organizations to engage as development agents in strengthening the child protection system in Moldova.
Specific objectives:
- Consolidate the capacity of the child protection system to effectively implement prevention measures for child separation, abuse, abandonment, and institutionalization.
- Increase the access of children at risk and their families to quality, sustainable, family-centered and community-based protection services.
Final beneficiaries:
Children at risk of separation/separated from their families and children placed in residential care.
Activities:
- Co-design, validate, and publish two bilingual, prevention-focused training modules with the MLSP, resulting in a nationally endorsed capacity-building package for the child protection system.
- Deliver standardized nationwide trainings and structured on-the-job mentoring for child protection professionals, strengthening practical skills to prevent abuse, neglect, abandonment, and family separation.
- Mobilize national CSO and OPD networks to carry out participatory monitoring, produce shadow and monitoring reports, and submit position papers that inform corrective action in the child protection system.
- Design and implement a national awareness-raising campaign using mass media and public events to promote prevention, identification of risks, and help-seeking behavior.
- Provide expert mentoring, supervision and case-based support to Gatekeeping Commissions and decisionmakers to advance childcare reform and safe deinstitutionalization.
- Implement a grant program enabling CSOs to develop, expand and operate sustainable community- and family-based child protection services, including at least four “Community Home” social services, and at least seven services aimed at preventing the placement of children in residential care or their separation from their families.
- Deliver community-based child protection, educational inclusion and family support services through CSO grants, reducing risks of violence, neglect, abandonment and institutionalization.
- Develop or expand specialized family-type and community services that support prevention of separation and safe transition from residential to family-based care.
- Provide workshops, coaching and tailored technical assistance that strengthen CSOs’ capacity to design, manage and sustain quality services and programs.
- Conduct targeted local awareness-raising actions in supported communities to improve case detection, promote available services and reinforce prevention messages.
Budget: 2,107,787 EUR
Donor: European Union
The project is co-financed and implemented by PI Keystone Moldova, PA “Child, Community, Family (CCF Moldova)” and PA “Partnerships for Every Child.”
