Changing the Way We Care Initiative, funded by USAID and implemented by Catolic Relief Servises in partnership with P4EC, CCF and Keystone.
(October 2021 – September 2024)
Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) is a global initiative launched in October 2018 by a consortium of organizations, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Maestral International.
GOAl:
Contribute to the end of institutionalization of children and ensure that systems of family support are strengthened so that children can continue to thrive in safe and nurturing families.
Objectives:
(1) Governments in demonstration countries advocate for family-based care and the transition/closure of orphanages, and lead, organize, manage and fund related policies and programs in alignment with the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children;
(2) In demonstration areas, children/youth remain in or are reintegrated into safe and nurturing family care.
In the Republic of Moldova, CTWWC was launched in November 2020 and P4EC is a national partner in the implementation of the initiative, along with CCF Moldova and Keystone Moldova.
In 2021-2022, a detailed situational analysis of the care system at the national level including social services1, workforce2, legal and finance components3, case management4, knowledge and attitudes of the public toward deinstitutionalization (DI) and reintegration5 was conducted by CTWWC Moldova together with its partners. Based on this comprehensive analysis diverse stakeholders were brought together to review the findings and to plan priority interventions. The recommendations developed based on these broad consultations were provided to the MLSP and integrated into the National Child Protection Program for 2022-2026.
In the same time P4EC supported the revision of the case management tools by leading a technical Working Group (WG) that included ministries, local authorities and CSOs. The revised case management tool and guidelines were approved by Order of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection no. 143 of 15.09.2023.
In 2021, six residential institutions entered the reorganization process, with P4EC conducting financial resource and infrastructure assessments across all of them.
P4EC played a key role in evaluating two institutions in Hincesti district— the auxiliary school and the Temporary Placement Center for Children with Disabilities—focusing on assessments of children and families.
Transformation plans were developed, and in 2022, the Hincesti auxiliary school was closed, with children either reintegrated into their families or placed in family-type care with P4EC’s support.
In December 2023, at the request of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, P4EC started the reorganization of a new institution—the boarding school for children without parental care in Ceadir Lunga. This process included the assessment of 12 children and efforts to support their reintegration into biological or extended families, as well as the development of foster care services.
Outcomes in figures:
