Innovative approach in universal services for ensuring the well-being of every child

Employees of healthcare institutions providing primary medical care, as well as staff from general and vocational education institutions, will be directly involved in the primary prevention of risks affecting child well-being.

In this regard, on 31 January, the Government approved the Instruction on the Intersectoral Cooperation Mechanism for the Primary Prevention of Risks to Child Well-Being.

The purpose of the Instruction is to enhance intersectoral cooperation in child protection by focusing on primary prevention of risks and reducing the need for specialized interventions.

According to the document, the cooperation procedures include:

• Systematic monitoring of child well-being according to age, based on eight well-being domains;
• Assessment of well-being whenever signs of concern appear;
• Planning and implementing actions to address identified concerns;
• Referring cases to child protection authorities only when the causes of concern cannot be resolved internally.

The intersectoral cooperation mechanism was piloted in eight communities across three pilot districts, covering over 8,800 individuals, including approximately 6,000 children.

It is worth noting that establishing this intersectoral cooperation mechanism for the primary prevention of risks to every child’s well-being is part of the Government Action Plan for 2016–2018, as well as the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Child Protection Strategy for 2014–2020.