ENRICHING THE FUTURE

RESPONDING TO CHILD VULNERABILITY THROUGH

EU ENLARGEMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICIES

World Vision is a network of Christian relief, development and advocacy

organisations dedicated to working with children, families and communities
to overcome poverty and injustice. As followers of Jesus, World Vision is
dedicated to working with the worlds most vulnerable people regardless of
religion, race, ethnicity or gender.
Transforming Communities
Because poverty has both local and global causes, World Vision works within
communities and across geographical areas to help individuals and groups
improve the well-being of children and overcome poverty.
Responding to Disasters
World Vision is globally positioned to help with immediate needs like food,
water and shelter when disaster strikes and to help communities to recover
and prevent future catastrophes.
Seeking Global Change
World Vision engages institutions, donors and the general public to address
the global problems that perpetuate poverty. Advocacy staff empower
communities to speak up for their rights, locally and globally.
In Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, World Vision and its
partner organisations work in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.

World Vision International 2012

Version 2, June 2012
Authors: Eve Jolly and Jocelyn Penner Hall
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any
form, except for brief excerpts in reviews, without prior permission of the
publisher.
Published by World Visions Middle East and Eastern Europe Office on behalf
of World Vision International. For further information about this publication
or World Vision International publications, or for additional copies of this
publication, please contact [email protected].

Contents
Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................................................04
Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................................................05
Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................................06
Child Vulnerability in Enlargement and ENP East Countries..................................................................................................08
EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policies: A Response to Child Vulnerability?................................................................10
Child Protection Reform Landscape....................................................................................................................................12
Infographic Representation of Child Protection Reforms by Country....................................................................................15
Solutions to Reform Barriers: Strengthening EU Engagement...............................................................................................26
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................................................34
References.........................................................................................................................................................................36

Acknowledgments
The development and publication of this brief has been
possible due to the collaborative efforts of many individuals,
World Vision offices and external entities. The authors would
like to thank the following:
Alexander Muterko and Caroline Kroeker-Falconi (World
Vision Brussels & EU Representation ivzw), and Sharon Payt
and Mirela Oprea (World Vision Middle East and Eastern
Europe Regional Office), who were instrumental in providing
strategic guidance and technical input from the original concept
to the final stages.
Daniela Buzducea and Andy Guth (World Vision Romania),
who provided exceptional insight on the Romania-EU
perspective of child protection reform.
Six World Vision national offices and their staff Dea Haxhi
(World Vision Albania); Grigori Grigoryants (World Vision
Armenia); Naila Mustafayeva and Telman Malikzadeh (World
Vision Azerbaijan); Sophia Petriashvili, Ia Dadunashvili and
Marina Menteshashvili (World Vision Georgia); Tijana Moraca
(AgroInvest Serbia); as well as Fiona Smith (World Vision
Middle East and Eastern Europe Regional Office) and two
independent consultants, Alexander Zachariades and Anique
Ross, who collected and verified policy and field data on an
ongoing basis.
Marie Cook (World Vision Middle East and Eastern Europe
Regional Office), Zara Der Arakelian, and Graham Lovelace
(Lovelace Consulting in the UK), who assisted with editing and
design of the brief.

Abbreviations
CEE/CIS

Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States

CPS

Child Protection System

CPU

Child Protection Unit

CSP

Country Strategy Paper

EC

European Commission

ENI

European Neighbourhood Instrument

ENP

European Neighbourhood Policy

EP

European Parliament

EU

European Union

IPA

Instrument for Pre-Accession

NAP

National Action Plan

NIP

National Indicative Programme

PCA

Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

SMART

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound (objectives)

UNCRC

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Executive Summary
Many children currently outside the European Union
(EU), in Enlargement and European Neighbourhood East
(ENP East) countries, remain among the most socially and
economically vulnerable groups in the region. Adversely
affected by economic recession, growing poverty and reduced
opportunities, vulnerable children and young people are
made increasingly tangential to the EUs plans for security,
democracy and economic prosperity. Increasing numbers of
children are susceptible to circumstances of violence, abuse
and neglect. Children residing in residential institutions, children
in the labour force, children with disabilities and special needs,
children home alone as a result of migrant parents, children
in conflict with the law, children subject to domestic violence
and children subject to trafficking and exploitation all represent
children and young people who are predisposed to life without
the richness of opportunity and choice that democracy should
afford.
For the EU to achieve regional security, democracy and
economic stability it must first minimise the numbers of children
vulnerable to extreme harm and lack of opportunity. The EU
acknowledges the promotion and protection of child rights
within its Fundamental Rights and Human Rights Policy, and
more generally, in its external relations policy. Enlargement and
Neighbourhood policies ensure that countries seeking closer
ties to the EU strengthen their efforts to include and protect
vulnerable children. However, current efforts are insufficient
and reinforce a narrow, issue based approach without rigorous
follow up that could ensure the sustainable implementation of
new policies on the ground.
Key changes to EU policy and action could contribute
significantly to the reduction of vulnerability and the expansion
of opportunities for children in difficult circumstances across
Enlargement and ENP East countries. The EUs policy and
action across the region wields substantial influence that, if
harnessed, could provide solutions to some of the barriers that
minimise child protection reform. Barriers to reform include:
1) a lack of sufficient funding dedicated to reform efforts, 2)
the process of decentralisation, because it currently divides
responsibility from capacity and resources, 3) a lack of political
and administrative capacity to enact and implement reforms,
and 4) isolated, embryonic implementation of community
based services.

Despite these barriers, governments have made substantial

progress on child protection reform. World Vision
acknowledges this important work. Governments, donors,
international organisations and civil society have focused on the
crucial building blocks of child protection reform in the past ten
years: 1) deriving legal and policy frameworks, 2) building local
and national capacity to respond to the need, and 3) testing
models of community based social services that undergird a
systemic approach to child protection.
Today, the challenge is scaling up those models of community
based services in ways that reach the majority of vulnerable
children. Scale up is the next phase of child protection reform:
this is the nationwide implementation of government-promised
services and it demands new attention, funding and strategic
direction.
In light of the new Pre-Accession Assistance and European
Neighbourhood Instrument planned for 2014-2020, the
EU can provide substantial support to partner countries to
overcome many of the key barriers to child protection reform
and focus on the next phase of reform: the scale up of services.
The EUs view of the Enlargement process as giving incentives
for political and economic reform as well as the more for
more approach emphasised in the Neighbourhood policy
provide a suitable platform upon which the EU can help bring
about child protection reform in the region.

World Vision recommends the following EU actions:

Position child protection as a high priority on the political
agenda. Specifically, 1) coordinate a political agenda for
child protection reform for the European Commission and
European Parliament, and 2) appoint a long-standing EU
rapporteur for child protection reform.
Adopt a systems approach to child protection in
programming, strategy and funding for Enlargement and
Neighbourhood policies. Specifically, 1) support national
child protection authorities as coordinating bodies between
horizontal domains of authority on child protection reform,
2) support nationwide child protection mapping and
assessment exercises that can validate evidence based
decision making, and 3) use national action plans strategically:
measure progress and provide technical and financial support
to the implementation of selected national action plans that
demonstrate a systems approach to child protection.

Support the scale up of successful child protection

services through financial, strategic and technical support.
Specifically, 1) fund models of community based services
with a view of scale up at the outset, 2) partner with and
fund civil society to develop necessary scale up components,
3) support, monitor and fund evidence gathering linking data
from individual services to social, institutional and political
contexts for scale up, and 4) temporarily fund transition costs
for the transformation period from existing to new child
protection mechanisms and systems.

Child Vulnerability
in Enlargement and ENP East Countries
Many children currently outside the European Union (EU), in
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood East (ENP East)
countries, remain among the most socially and economically
vulnerable groups in the region. Adversely affected by economic
recession, growing poverty and reduced opportunities,1
vulnerable children and young people are made increasingly
tangential to the EUs plans for security, democracy and
economic prosperity. The number of children living in especially
difficult circumstances is increasing throughout the region while
the total population of children in the region is decreasing.2
Children residing in residential institutions, children in the
labour force, children with disabilities and special needs,
children home alone as a result of migrant parents, children
in conflict with the law, children subject to domestic violence
and children subject to trafficking and exploitation all represent
children and young people who are predisposed to life without
the richness of opportunity and choice that democracy should
afford.

Children residing in institutions: 138,1273

Residential institutions are one of the most common

receptacles for children who are abandoned, disabled and in
conflict with the law. Low care-giver to child ratios, societal
segregation, a lack of familial care, reduced educational
opportunities and minimal material inputs and sustenance
aggravate childrens vulnerability. Institutionalisation results
in cognitive, social and motor development delays, stunted
physical growth and increased risk to sexual and physical
abuse. Children who have aged out of institutional care are
also at higher risk of drug abuse, criminal acts, prostitution,
homelessness, begging, trafficking and poverty.4
Children with disabilities: 1,381,9885

Widespread social exclusion of children with disabilities

due to stigma and a focus on medical approaches to care
minimises their access to mainstream education, health care
and community life. Residential institutions are used as the
life-long default child care service for many children with
disabilities. Those remaining outside of institutions are often
hidden away from community support and engagement
with no opportunity to participate in society.

Children subject to trafficking: number unknown

Every country in the Central and Eastern Europe and

the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS)
region is an origin, transit and/or destination point for child
trafficking. Child trafficking is a serious and harmful form of
exploitation which can include prostitution or other forms
of sexual exploitation, forced labour, begging, slavery and
servitude. Children trafficked evidence a double exposure to
vulnerability: many are children from residential institutions,
children from violent and abusive homes, or children from
the poorest and most disadvantaged backgrounds. Girls are
also significantly exposed to this exploitation.
Children subject to domestic violence: 10,254,3859

Children in conflict with the law: 35,6786

Children in conflict with the law are often incarcerated for

petty crimes due to poor prevention mechanisms and a
lack of community rehabilitation services and child-friendly
juvenile justice protocols. Detention in adult prisons or
residential institutions is the norm. Retribution instead of
rehabilitation is the result, often leading to sustained criminal
behaviour or other vulnerabilities.
Children subject to labour: 1,354,3907

Child labour is a massive problem in Enlargement and ENP

East countries; both formal and informal economies exploit
children. In urban areas, children work in restaurants,
processing plants and textile workshops. Others fall victim
to sexual exploitation or the illicit drug trade. In rural
settings, children perform hazardous work in agriculture.8
Most forms of labour interfere with a childs physical and
mental development and prevent essential activities for
development, including formal education.

Children who face violence at home often incur permanent

challenges and risks. Infants and small children exposed to
violence in the home experience added emotional stress
that can harm brain development and impair cognitive and
sensory growth. Trends show that children of primary school
age who suffer from domestic violence fall behind their
peers in educational progress. Later in life, such children are
at greater risk to substance abuse, juvenile pregnancy and
criminal behaviour as compared to those raised in homes
without violence.10
Children home alone: a future regional trend?

Increasing numbers of children are home alone; given

enhanced freedom of movement and the necessity of
economic survival, parents are migrating to more lucrative
employment markets, earning up to three times as much
as in their home countries.11 In Moldova alone, more than
40% of emigrants have left children behind.12 Like other
vulnerable children, home alone children face corollary
vulnerabilities they are more susceptible to trafficking,
school dropout, life on the street or life in an institution.
With enhanced visa and migration opportunities now within
reach of Enlargement and ENP East countries, thousands
of children already living in poverty could face further
challenges as their parents seek employment opportunities
abroad.

EU Enlargement and
Neighbourhood Policies:
A Response to Child Vulnerability?
For the EU to achieve regional security, democracy and
economic stability it must first minimise the numbers of
children vulnerable to extreme harm and lack of opportunity.
Protecting the human rights of children is also one of the most
fundamental values embraced by the EU and societies around
the world; as an indicator to this, all EU Member States and
indeed almost all countries around the world have ratified
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC).13
The EU acknowledges the promotion and protection of
child rights within its Fundamental Rights and Human Rights
Policy, and more generally, in its external relations policy.
At the highest level of political commitment, the Lisbon Treaty
(entered into force on 1 December 2009) signals increased
commitment to child rights and protection.14 The European
Council, with its charge to ensure the political directions
and priorities of the Union, adopted The EU Guidelines for the
Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child (2007) that focus
on operational tools and actions to strengthen childrens rights
in third countries. At the EUs executive level, communications
of the European Commission (EC) reflect clear and notable
goals to ensure the rights of the child as described in Towards
an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child (2006), A Special Place
for Children in EU External Action (2008) and An EU Agenda for
the Rights of the Child (2011).15 The High Representative of the
EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has also recently
reiterated this commitment in 201116 to ensure child rights as
one of three main cross-cutting human rights priorities for the

next three years.17 Thus child protection and inclusion remains

a fundamental commitment of the EU as well as within the
European External Action Services mandate.
To date, the EU has leveraged its Enlargement and
Neighbourhood policies to ensure that countries seeking
closer ties to the EU strengthen their efforts to include and
protect vulnerable children. The European Parliament (EP)
called on the Council, the EC and EU Member States to
specifically mainstream childrens rights in the Enlargement
process and ENP, recognising that these policies are powerful
tools providing opportunities to promote childrens rights,
and to translate the opportunities into specific objectives.18 For
Enlargement countries, the Copenhagen Criteria sets forth the
conditions for EU accession and requires candidate and potential
candidate countries to have stable institutions guaranteeing
democracy and the rule of law, respect for and protection of
minorities and human rights.19 The ECs Enlargement Strategies
and Opinions on Membership Applications have called on
candidate and potential candidate countries to take action
to ensure child rights.20 The EU Stabilisation and Association
Agreements also necessitate commitments to human rights in
line with EU standards.21 European Partnerships between the
EU and Enlargement countries also define specific priorities,
which often include child protection and inclusion.22 PreAccession Assistance that includes financial, technical and
programme support designed to help countries meet their
pre-accession priorities again prioritise various issues that relate
to child protection and inclusion.23
In relations with European Neighbourhood countries, the EP
clearly stresses the importance of promoting and monitoring
child rights and specifically ensuring child protection.24 For
ENP East countries, the general principles of Partnership and
Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) that provide a basis for
cooperation with the EU include human rights. PCAs establish a
bilateral political dialogue which aims to encourage convergence
on positions and respect for human rights. Negotiations on
future Association Agreements with Neighbourhood countries
also address human rights and include childrens rights. Overall,
Neighbourhood policies and strategies streamline human rights
as a core component of progress towards democracy. ENP
Action Plans reflect specific commitments to human rights with
respect to child protection and inclusion in individual countries
based on each context.

10

The EUs current policies and efforts reflect three

discernible strategies to prioritise childrens rights in
partner countries.
First, the EU mainstreams the topic of child rights as
a priority cross-cutting theme. Therefore the EU must
consider child rights in all relevant policies and programming.
In Enlargement and Neighbourhood agreements, child rights
fits within political criteria such as human rights and social
protection reforms. Child protection, however, is never a
priority outright; without prioritisation, countries are not
bound by mainstreaming propositions.
Second, the EU identifies some issue based objectives that
target child rights and protection agendas for particular
governments. European Partnerships define this agenda for
Enlargement; for example, some include categories of child
vulnerabilities such as juvenile justice.25 The Action Plans confirm
this agenda for ENP; examples include anti-trafficking efforts
for children.26 For the EU, European Partnerships and Action
Plans are planning documents for programmatic and funding
decisions. For partner countries, these planning documents
identify priority topics in which to surge resources and energy
for EU validation. However used, these documents do not
necessarily correlate to systemic reforms or approaches.
Third, the EU monitors country progress and identifies
opportunities for each governments next steps. Enlargement
and Neighbourhood strategies and progress reports are key
documents within Enlargement and ENP structures to do
this. Child rights and protection themes are often reflected as
issues, such as juvenile justice or child labour.27 The cyclical
nature of these strategies and progress reports affords flexibility
to identify new trends and harbour ongoing efforts. Yet they
also reinforce an ad hoc approach to future engagement;
although some have a multi-year outlook, all of them are
released annually, generating new objectives while the old
ones can fade away often without resolve.

implementation of new policies on the ground. Key changes

to EU policy and action could contribute significantly to the
reduction of vulnerability and the expansion of opportunities
for children in difficult circumstances across Enlargement and
ENP East countries. The EUs policy and action across the
region wields substantial influence that, if harnessed, could
provide solutions to some of the barriers that minimise child
protection reform.

The aforementioned policies, agreements and efforts do

not evidence clear and concerted engagement with partner
countries for substantial and sustainable impact on child
protection and inclusion. Instead, current efforts are
insufficient and reinforce a narrow, issue based approach
without rigorous follow up that could ensure the sustainable

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Child Protection Reform Landscape

There are identifiable barriers to child protection reform in
Enlargement and ENP East countries, acknowledged by both
partner governments and members of civil society. This brief
focuses on post-Communist countries in the region, with
specific attention and evidence from countries where World
Vision operates: Albania, Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia.

Barriers to Child Protection Reform

Funding

First, funding barriers subsist. In some partner countries state

funding is tied to existing structures and services that do not
effectively or adequately protect children, such as residential
orphanages. Limited amounts of funding are thus available
and/or allocated to spawn new, alternative structures and
services that provide better protection for children. Where
governments attempt to fund both existing and new structures
and services, in efforts to carefully deinstitutionalise or transfer
children from one to the other, funding is stretched and thus
the reform process is slow and loses momentum.
The lack of sufficient funding for child protection reforms is also
a product of balancing pressing needs. Governments respond
to immediate issues such as security and economic stability,
while the slow and steady burning issue of child protection
often remains a low priority even though it is crucial for longer
term security and economic growth.
Process of Decentralisation

Second, and a corollary to funding barriers, the process of

decentralisation often divides capacity and resources from
responsibility.28 Local authorities are responsible for delivering
social services without the capacity and resources to effectively
serve their constituents. Central authorities have transferred
the responsibility for service delivery without building the
organisational capacity of local authorities to undertake this
task. At the same time, the local tax base and transfers from
central budgets are not always sufficient to adequately fund
service delivery. This situation affects rural areas more than
urban ones largely because poverty is greater among rural
constituents and there are higher costs associated with rural
transactions.

12

Political and Administrative Capacity

Third, the lack of political capacity is a barrier to child protection

reform. It is certainly true that all countries in the region
express the political will to care for their children. The political
capacity to deliver reforms, however, is often lacking because
child protection reform demands a multi-sectoral approach.
Effective, impact-driven child protection reform demands
coordination from numbers of national ministries as well as
regional and local government bodies. It is often the case that
ministries of health, education, social affairs, labour and justice
all own portions of child protection reform efforts. Sectorbased budgeting, adverse or competing decision making rights
and a lack of coordination mechanisms lead to weak political
capacity and sideline political will.
Isolated Implementation of Services

Fourth, there is a lack of nationwide implementation of child

protection services. Many social services and mechanisms at
the community level are successful and they provide quality
service to children and families, but at present they are
embryonic islands of success with outreach and impact limited
to dozens rather than thousands of children. As a result, most
vulnerable children do not have access to these services and
support which are identified within national level commitments
and legislation. The gap between policy and implementation is
sizeable.

Reform Progress and Success

Despite these barriers, governments have made substantial
progress on child protection reform. World Vision
acknowledges this important work. Governments, donors,
international organisations and civil society have focused on the
crucial building blocks of child protection reform in the past ten
years: 1) deriving legal and policy frameworks, 2) building local
and national capacity to respond to the need, and 3) testing
models of community based social services that undergird a
systemic approach to child protection.
The creation of legal and policy frameworks on child protection
and welfare is a major success across the region. Governments
have enacted laws and created strategies that respond to many
of the vulnerabilities and child rights abuses that are prevalent
in the region.
Governments, donors and civil society have also worked
together to build key capacities for child protection reform.
Because child protection reforms require a shift and strength in
human and organisational capacity, countries have 1) created
social work and similar subject curriculum for university
level matriculation, 2) established standards, guidelines and
protocols for child protection work as a means to regulate and
professionalise service delivery, and 3) encouraged study tours
and knowledge exchanges within the region and globally as a
means to increase the political and technical levels of excellence
for continued reforms.29 Although the task of capacity building
is ongoing, significant progress has been made.
In partnership with local government, civil society has
modelled community based services that are components of
a holistic child protection system. Social services such as child
protection units, day care, foster care, inclusive education,
respite care, community centres, maternal shelters, small
group homes and juvenile rehabilitation programmes are
examples of a web of services that support vulnerable families
and communities while protecting children. Over the past
ten years, civil society has modelled services to determine
innovative methodologies, sound operational and technical
management and funding requirements. For sustainability,
organisations have transferred ownership of successful services
to local authorities. This process evidences a key partnership

for reform. Because civil society is per se embedded into

communities, it has been able to establish the demand for
and legitimacy of community based services that government
often finds difficult to establish. Further, civil society is able to
assume risks that governments avoid such as those associated
with start-up costs and developing operational integrity.
Today, the challenge is scaling up those models of community
based services, that are currently isolated and embryonic,
in ways that reach the majority of vulnerable children. Scale
up is the next phase of child protection reform: this is the
nationwide implementation of government-promised services
and it demands new attention, funding and strategic direction.

The Next Phase:

Nationwide Scale Up
The next phase of child protection reform is the scale up of
tested service models. At present, while social services and
mechanisms at the community level are successful, they are
embryonic islands of success with outreach and impact
limited to dozens rather than thousands of children.
Community based services in welfare, health, education
and social protection are the tangible components of child
protection and inclusion. These services have a direct impact
on the lives of children; they act as prevention mechanisms
to vulnerabilities or as buffers where vulnerability exists.
Nationwide implementation of these key services is the next
direction for movement.

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Enacted Policy and Legislation on Child Protection and Inclusion

Albania
National Strategy for Children 2001-2005
National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities 2005-2010
National Strategy for Children 2005-2010
Strategy for Social Services 2005-2010
Law on Measures Against Violence in Family Relations 2006
Law No.10024 of 27 November 2008
Law No.10039 of 22 December 2008
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2008
Strategy on Foster Care 2008
National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings 2005-2007
National Strategy for the Fight Against Trafficking in Children 2008-2010
Strategy for Social Inclusion 2007-2013
Strategy for Social Protection 2007-2013
Law for Protecting Childrens Rights 2010
National Action Plan for the Fight Against Trafficking in Children and Protection of Children Victims of Trafficking 2011-2013
Criminal Code Amendments re: Trafficking as a criminal offence
Government Action Plan to Fulfil EC Opinion Recommendations 2012
Armenia
Law on Foster Care 2004
National Action Plan on Child Protection 2004-2015
Law on Education of Persons in Need of Special Education Conditions 2005
Inclusive Education Concept Paper 2005
Strategy for Reform of the System of Child Care Institutions and Protection of Children at Risk 2006-2015
Strategy and Action Plan for Prevention of Trafficking of Persons 2004-2006
National Plan of Action on Trafficking for 2007-2009
National Programme for the Prevention of Crime 2008-2012
Action Plan to Combat Gender Based Violence 2011 (including 2011-2015 Strategic Action Plan to Combat Gender Based Violence)
Azerbaijan
State Programme on the Improvement of Childrens Upbringing and Education and Protection of Their Rights 2000
Action Plan on Solving of the Problems of Homeless and Street Children 2003
Law on Nutrition of Infants and Children of an Early Age 2003
Law on the Prevention of Child Neglect and Violations by Minors 2005
Law on the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons 2005
National Program on Development of Inclusive Education 2005-2009
State Programme on Deinstitutionalisation and Alternative Care Services 2006-2015
(including the National Plan for the Transformation of Residential Institutions 2008)
Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence 2010
Constitutional Amendment to strengthen the protection of child rights
Georgia
Law of Georgia on Foster Care for Orphans or Children Deprived of Parental Care 1999
Law of Georgia on Social Protection of People with Disabilities 2001
State Programme for Prevention of Abandonment and Deinstitutionalisation 2001
Strategy on the Reform of the Criminal Legislation (Government of Georgia Order No. 195 20th May 2005)
Action Plan on Deinstitutionalisation 2005
Law on Georgia for Combating Human Trafficking 2006
Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Protection and Assistance of Victims of Domestic Violence 2006 (and Action Plan)
Law on Social Assistance 2006
Action Plan on Child Welfare 2008 (Decree N 869)
Child Action Plan 2008-2011
Action Plan for the Fight Against Human Trafficking 2009-2010
State Programme 2009
Disability Action Plan 2010-2012
Serbia
National Plan of Action 2004-2015
Social Welfare Development Strategy 2005
Family Law 2005
Law on Juvenile Justice 2006
Strategy for Fighting Human Trafficking 2006
National Strategy for the Protection of Children Against Violence, Abuse and Neglect 2008
Law on the Foundations of Education 2009
Child Action Plan 2009
National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking for 2009-2011
Law on Social Welfare 2011

14

The following section outlines government commitments to child

protection and inclusion in the form of strategies and laws, where those
commitments relate to establishing and/or delivering services in the
community for children, and a reflection of the number and type of
services implemented by government in practice. It is a qualitative
analysis to demonstrate the length and breadth of governmental
commitments vis--vis corresponding tangible outputs in the public
system and on the ground.

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Solutions to Reform Barriers:

Strengthening EU Engagement
The EUs view of the Enlargement process as giving incentives
for political and economic reform30 as well as the more for
more approach emphasised in the Neighbourhood policy31
provide a suitable platform upon which the EU can help bring
about child protection reform in the region. Furthermore,
in light of the new Pre-Accession Assistance and the revised
European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) planned for
2014-2020, the EU can further provide substantial support to
partner countries and overcome many of the key barriers to
child protection reform.
World Vision recommends the following EU actions:

1. Position child protection as a high

priority on the political agenda
While child protection is reflected as a priority in inter alia EU
external action including Enlargement and Neighbourhood
policies, more can be done to position child protection as a
high priority on the political agenda.
A coordinated political agenda between the EC and EP that
prioritises child protection can provide clear, consistent and
influential messages to partner countries in Enlargement and
ENP East. Furthermore, the creation of a long-standing EU
rapporteur on child protection would carve out a special place
for the issue. As a cross-institutional focal point to track the
reform process across the region, a rapporteur could coordinate
funding and technical support, and give political voice to hasten
impact-driven responses by partner governments.
The case of Romania provides striking evidence that EU
engagement on child protection engineered by strong,
coordinated political will at the EU level is powerful and can
have significant impact on reforms in partner countries.32
EU Enlargement was one key driver of child protection reform
in Romania, significantly expressing the urgency of reform.
Prior to Romanias accession journey in 1997, the Romanian
government had implemented few successful reforms, despite
a significant influx of funding and evidence of political will. As
child protection reform became a component of the EUs
political conditionality for Romania, new and successful reforms
took shape. Such reforms brought about significant impact for

26

children housed in residential institutions.

In support of this, EC and EP actions on child protection
reform in Romania were well coordinated. The EC provided
technical and financial resources to Romania while the EP, most
notably by the EP Rapporteur, tirelessly proclaimed Romanias
successes and omissions in public spaces, including progress
reports, press releases and speeches. The co-management
of the accession process by the EC and EP, despite the ECs
mandate to manage implementation, required Romania to
respond to both stakeholders from both technical and political
points of view. Furthermore, stability of leadership in EU
forums and Romanian politics during crucial reform moments
consolidated trust and responsive action. Interviews suggest
that EU leaders provided language and ideas for the reform
movement to Romanian politicians that seamlessly blended
political rhetoric into funded action.33
Successful political pressure exerted on Romania during the
accession process could be categorised in three components:
1) a unified position among EU institutions on the issue of child
protection, 2) continuous coordination and messaging from
both EC and EP stakeholders, and 3) the tireless engagement
of one key child protection champion the EP Rapporteur
who kept the issue embedded in political conditionality and
therefore high on domestic and EU agendas.

2. Adopt a systems approach to child

protection programming, strategy
and funding for Enlargement and
Neighbourhood policies
Current EU policy and funding mostly concentrate on issue
based objectives that do not necessarily correlate to systemic
reforms or approaches. A systems approach to child protection
will acknowledge the multi-sectoral nature of child protection
reform and help solve for political and administrative capacity.
World Vision recognises that the term systems approach to child
protection calls for a considerable conceptual shift from standalone programming and engagement focused on particular
groups of children to more sustainable, comprehensive and
long-term responses to protect children from abuse, neglect,
exploitation and other forms of violence.34 Namely, there

Child Protection Systems defined

World Vision defines a Child Protection System (CPS) as a set of
coordinated formal and informal elements working together to
prevent and respond to all forms of child vulnerability.

is a greater focus on prevention, and the critical roles and

assets of key actors responsible for child protection. These
actors include government, civil society, parents, caregivers,
families and other community structures. Although there are
many aspects of support that the EU can provide under this
approach, this brief focuses on the role of government as a
formal actor of the child protection system and how the EU
can more strategically support governments role.
The role of governments in a systems approach to child
protection is multi-level, multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral.
Multi-level and multi-dimensional attributes of child protection
are easily identified and bureaucratically less complicated.
Service delivery in the form of child protection units, social
services and other issue-targeted services function at the
community level. Capacity building and coordination of service
delivery function mostly at a regional level. Policy development
on child protection is a national level enterprise.
Multi-sectoral engagement for child protection is more difficult
because it demands exchange of information, coordination
and shared decision-making horizontally instead of vertically.
For example, the Ministry of Health is the leading ministry of a
countrys formal health system; all relevant health institutions
answer to its regulations and jurisdiction. This is the case in the
fields of education, energy, labour, justice and defence. This
is not the case for child protection. Mandates, functions and
budgets are positioned within and between various horizontal
domains.
As a result, strategy, decision making and budgetary allocations
for child protection systems are horizontally spread across
government, making political capacity for real impact
weak. These barriers are worsened by the difficulties often
characteristic of highly politicised bureaucracies common in the
CEE/CIS region. The lack of coordination and decision making
is coupled with minimised political will and engagement. The
fact that new staff transition into key posts every election year
also minimises horizontal coordination and decision making.

A Child Protection System consists of:

1. Laws, policies and regulations which determine the systems
structures, mandates and functions.
2. Services and service delivery mechanisms which provide direct
care and protection for children.
3. Capacities to provide and perform child protection services,
including technical, human and financial resources.
4. Cooperation and coordination mechanisms which ensure that
all formal and informal elements of the system across different
sectors and levels work in a holistic manner.
5. Accountability mechanisms which ensure the system responds
effectively to child vulnerabilities.
6. Circle of care which includes attitudes, values, behaviours and
practices that provide the social environment for children.
7. Childrens life skills and participation which encourages children
to contribute to their own protection and that of others.
Each countrys CPS is unique and made of formal and informal
elements appropriate to its context. Formal elements are established
or sanctioned by government and guided by laws, regulations and
policies. Informal elements do not have government mandates;
they are shaped by attitudes, values, behaviours, social norms and
traditional practices in society. The boundaries between formal and
informal elements will depend on the particular country context. For
example, some formal elements of the system such as services may
be provided or implemented by non-state/informal providers.
Actors in the Child Protection System
A CPS operates at different levels and relies on a number of actors.
Children are actors in the informal elements of the system; they
have a role to play in their own protection. Life skills development
can build childrens capacity to make good decisions, influence their
environment positively and build resilience to difficult situations.
The family plays the most influential role in the quality of care and
protection that each child receives because they are the primary
caregiver and of immediate proximity. The role of the family is
determined through the knowledge, attitudes, capacity and beliefs of
each family and the local culture.
Communities are actors at both formal and informal levels. In places
where the government system is decentralised, the presence of formal
elements such as special police forces or community based services
may be greater. Informal elements such as committees or youth clubs
are also community structures of protection. Community members
and families together also have a critical role in helping children thrive
and preventing abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The government is a critical actor, given its role and responsibility in
the implementation of childrens rights enshrined in the UNCRC.
The majority of formal elements of the CPS are put in place and
implemented by government authorities at different levels.
International structures and actors play a significant role by supporting
the implementation of childrens rights and holding governments
accountable as duty bearers. They inter alia establish mechanisms for
monitoring and evaluation, complaints and redress.

27

Therefore, to support effective, multi-sectoral child protection

reforms for the systems approach to programming, strategy
and funding, the EU must:
Support national child protection authorities as coordinating
bodies between horizontal domains of authority on child
protection reform. Coordination mechanisms and authorities
must hold a political mandate for reform and have authority
to strategically link projects and initiatives together. Working
successfully between national level ministries demands a
level of political support to make decisions and see to the
implementation of those decisions across multiple sectors.
Most national child protection bodies across the region do not
hold this initiative.
National coordination mechanisms must also directly relate to
local authorities. To solve the lack of political capacity, slow
decentralisation and the issue of responsibility without capacity
and resources should flow directly from central coordinating
authorities on child protection to local and regional authorities,
bypassing horizontal domains of authority at the national level.
Such action pulls together fragmented budgets and creates a
comprehensive approach to issues.

Support nationwide child protection mapping and

assessment exercises that can validate evidence based
decision making. Access to data, evidence and analysis are
central to effective horizontal decision making for a systems
approach to child protection. Mapping and assessment
processes for child protection create a platform for multisectoral decision making. Such processes build consensus
around key priorities, improve organisation and coordination
with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities,
enhance management and administration of the system, and
identify budget gaps and trends for future interventions.35
Governments need greater synthesis of available data and
improved quality of data to maximise resources and achieve
high impact child protection systems. At present, project
reports, baseline data and monitoring and evaluation reports
from various government agencies and civil society are not
well organised or accessible for analysis.36 Furthermore,
outdated records constrain accurate budgeting and outreach to
communities to address specific needs. Finally, governments
often rely on state registration to gather data. Because many
vulnerable families and children are not registered, true
numbers remain elusive.
In-depth understanding of the child protection context will
provide the platform to develop an appropriate tailored
systems approach strategy for child protection reforms.

28

Use national action plans strategically: measure progress

and provide technical and financial support to the
implementation of selected national action plans that
demonstrate a systems approach to child protection. A
systems approach to child protection requires an in-depth
understanding of the child protection context and a clear
strategy to guide programmatic decisions to fill identified gaps
in ways which strengthen one or multiple elements of the child
protection system. Targeted use of selected national action
plans (NAP), with their objectives and timeframes, can provide
the course to attain new levels of focus, evidence and debate
on progress.
Selected NAPs offer a sound platform for coordinating,
targeting and prioritising a systems approach to child
protection reform.37 Strategically, NAPs are core organising
documents that can bring together all sectors of government,
donor governments and civil society. Within government,
various ministry sectors come together to draft NAPs, which
verify shared tasks and policy alignment for a multi-sectoral
approach.38 For donor governments, NAPs can leverage donor
assistance to together target specific problems with common
solutions. This tactic improves the strategic management
of assistance. NAPs also offer entry points for civil society
engagement. Together, members of civil society are also able
to organise funding and technical support around national
priorities. NAPs are also simple platforms to monitor progress;
civil society can organise data and evidence collection around
promised priorities and services. These activities can also
strengthen the role of civil society in policy making.

appropriately align with such frameworks. Thus, programmatic

decisions can be planned, designed, implemented and
evaluated with an understanding of how they contribute to
the overall system in line with a systems approach to child
protection.
Because current EU policy disperses child protection issues
throughout various agreements, documents and processes
which guide the process of Enlargement and engagement with
Neighbourhood partners, there is currently no framework
strategy to ensure and respond to an in-depth understanding
of the child protection context on the ground. Select NAPs
can offer a possible solution. EU emphasis on NAPs as an
organising principle for multi-sectoral engagement on child
protection and evidence gathering will also serve to crystallise
partner countrys efforts to develop strategically mature
documents.

From an EU perspective, and in light of its vision to leverage

funding for the new Pre-Accession Assistance,39 NAPs can be
used to leverage more funds from other donors to support
EU funded programmes; multi-donor funding pools could also
minimise administrative burdens to recipient governments.
Selected NAPs can also help identify SMART40 objectives in
policy/programme cycles of the Enlargement process and
ENP, and set strategic short-term and long-term benchmarks.
More emphasis on NAPs also mitigates the fading away
problem that is prevalent in progress reports and strengthens
monitoring and evaluation of the system through more
meaningful engagement with civil society.41 NAPs can also be
linked to national level budgetary frameworks; the Instrument
for Pre-Accession (IPA) and ENI funding instruments can more

29

3. Support the scale up of successful

child protection services nationwide
through financial, strategic and
technical support

Deciding what scale up looks like in the public sector depends

on various political and social variables, such as:

Given the successful ratification of legislation across the region,

a strategy to successfully implement these commitments is the
next step. A range of stakeholders have already created single,
successful services that directly impact the lives of children
and now there is an opportunity to scale up these models.
Nationwide scale up of services closes the gap between policy
and implementation.

Objectives and targets in the law/policy under which scale

World Vision defines scale up as the increase or expansion of

a community-based social service and its successful child protection
outcomes, in the public sector and in accordance with an existing law/
policy for greater impact.42 The focus is to reproduce the successful
outcomes of a service, not to obsequiously recreate every
one of its features. Therefore scale up does not necessarily

The service to be scaled up must first be piloted as close

as possible to the public system, deploy resources (human,
technical and financial) that are replicable, obtainable and
cost-effective for government, and maintain knowledge
management platforms that facilitate the exchange of evidence
between stakeholders. In this way, scale up can also help
address complications in the process of decentralisation such as
a lack of resources and capacity at the local level by intentionally
deploying technical and financial resources that are replicable,
obtainable and cost-effective for government.

mean replicating the number of service sites, expanding

the infrastructure of the site or multiplying the number of
beneficiaries, but can also include:

Meeting a previously unmet child protection need

Improving service performance in areas such as access or
quality

Increasing the breadth of the service such as geographically

or through diversity in beneficiaries

Increasing the depth of the service such as by improving

quality or offering a variety of services and settings
In practice, the scale up of one-off services can occur in
ways such as replication of a blueprint, grafting onto existing
services, or an association of related existing services. The

30

process of scale up can also occur in a simultaneous, phased-in

or increasing way.

up will occur
Institutional and administrative capacity of government to
undertake scale up
Funding available to and allocated by government
Nature, severity, type and scope of the child protection
and inclusion issue

Example of Scale Up
In partnership with government and members of civil society,
World Vision Albania is undertaking an initiative to scale up child
protection units (CPUs) pursuant to the Law for Protecting
Childrens Rights 2010 and in accordance with the prevalence of
child protection issues in the country. CPUs are responsible for
identifying, referring and assisting children who are at risk and/
or victims of neglect, abuse, violence and exploitation. There
are already 28 CPUs funded and operated by the government
(out of 409 committed), and at the same time there are funding
shortages for additional expenditures. In this context, scale up is
closely associated with increasing the depth (capacity and quality)
of existing CPU social workers and the breadth (geographical
reach) of CPUs. This would be done through replication or
association of existing CPUs and the phase-in of additional units.
World Vision Albania is working in partnership with government,
other civil society organisations as well as think tanks to establish
the best way forward.

For the EU to help partner countries scale up localised services

into a nationwide system of services, the EU must:
Fund models of community based services with a view
of scale up at the outset. The EU should only fund service
delivery models that align with government commitments,
foster ongoing partnerships between local authorities and civil
society organisations, and collect relevant evidence for scale up.
The criteria for which community based services are chosen
for funding should continue to be based on priorities set out
in NAPs and accounted for in legislation. The objectives and
timeframes set out in NAPs would help frame the strategy
and process of scale up into short and longer term steps.
The amount and allocation of funding can then be budgeted
accordingly through the Multi-Annual Indicative Financial
Framework and Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document of
IPA and National Indicative Programmes of ENI.

A key role for civil society organisations in scale up is working

in partnership with government to develop and implement
service models at the local level. Civil society organisations
have the requisite capacity for service delivery and their ability
to handle risk and innovation provides an alternative to that of
government. Many services currently funded and/or operated
by government in Enlargement and ENP countries were
originally modelled by civil society organisations before being
transferred to government ownership.43 Scale up takes these
successes to the next level by moving from one-off transfers
of services to expanding their outreach and impact. Through
direct community outreach initiatives, civil society organisations
also have the ability to both assess and access the demand
for services in the communities in which they serve. This is
important for scale up where the demand for services is one
key determinant of how and to what extent the service model
will be increased or expanded for greater impact.
Think tanks can also add a new dimension to the dialogue
between the EU and government. The exchange of strategic
and technical support and evidence required for scale up
will be a multi-faceted initiative that spreads across public
policy, public administration and development realms.
Not only are think tanks in a position to provide cogent
analyses from intermediary and dynamic perspectives but
they broaden the engagement of civil society to include
organisations with special or innovative expertise. Such
an enriched dialogue is necessary for this new frontier
of reform.

Partner with and fund civil society to develop necessary

scale up components. Regional and national level civil
society coalitions are also key stakeholders for the scale up
of services. Multi-stakeholder coalitions offer demonstrable
evidence on child vulnerability and the socio-economic trends
that make children vulnerable. Aggregate evidence and insight
about specific geographic regions and national level trends
are important aspects to determine the strategy and process
of scale up. Further, multi-stakeholder coalitions play an
important role in mutual accountability; they ensure that
national investments and policies are effective and costeffective.

Regional and national level civil society coalitions are also key
stakeholders for the scale up of services. Coalitions offer
demonstrable evidence on child vulnerability and the socioeconomic trends that make children vulnerable. Aggregate
evidence and insight about specific geographic regions and
national level trends are important aspects to determine the
strategy and process of scale up.
Support, monitor and fund evidence gathering linking data
from individual services to social, institutional and political
contexts for scale up. Operating a service model funded
through IPA or ENP should require actions for effectiveness
and sustainable impact: the collection of programmatic and
operational evidence for scale up. Locally grounded evidence
generated through the development and implementation of

31

community based service models is crucial to ensure that a

strategy for scale up is in keeping with the social and institutional
realities of the particular country. Dialogue with community
stakeholders and civil society organisations can provide advice
on how best to design and implement a model that suits the
local population, with subsequent evidence of impact guiding
further reiterations of the model in the pilot phase and building
consensus among stakeholders in the community being served.
In line with democratic principles, gathering and using evidence
from the community also ensures that national level reforms
are driven and contextualised by local needs and demands.
Progressing from a pilot to a nationwide programme requires
the need to articulate the broader relevance of a pilots impact
in the national reform framework in order to build consensus
among policy makers. At this point the conversation shifts
from whether the service is successful to how its impact can be
increased or expanded and its operations replicated in the
wider institutional context. Herein lies the need to gather
evidence for policy debates about feasibility and sustainability.
The way to do this is to operate the pilot as close as possible
to the public system, deploy resources (human, technical and
financial) that are replicable, obtainable and cost-effective for
government, and maintain knowledge management platforms
that facilitate the exchange of evidence between stakeholders.
To progress a pilot to a nationwide programme in the public
sector, the generation and use of evidence thus needs to be
an integral component of service model development and
implementation rather than as an end in itself or to satisfy
compliance requirements. This will enable community
stakeholders and policy makers to develop appropriate
strategies for scale up that fit with the social, institutional and
political contexts.
Temporarily fund transition costs for the transformation
period. Reform involves transition costs, especially where
changes are made to a governmental system. For child
protection reform, transition costs can include start-up costs
of new services or functions in the child protection system,
or developing new types of services while maintaining existing
services (such as residential orphanages/institutions), which
are necessary to ensure the smooth and safe transition of
children from one protection mechanism to another with
the intention that the existing services will be phased out or

32

transformed over a given period of time.

EU assistance would be effective as transition funding during
the transformation period. Given the prevalence of residential
institutions in countries such as Armenia and Azerbaijan,
transition funding could bridge the budgetary shortfall between
maintaining them temporarily while developing new services.
In the long run, re-allocation of funds from residential institutions
would likely ensure sustainability of the new services without
additional costs or burden on the state budget.44 In Albania and
Serbia, transition costs would be more closely associated with
start-up costs of new services. The scale up of these services
must be appropriately designed so as to minimise additional
cost to the state budget, such as by grafting new services
onto the infrastructure of existing ones or sharing resources
between them, rather than building new service sites.
Adequate planning for scale up is necessary to avoid the situation

where it merely expands the net for vulnerable children

by creating more services supported by transition (or other)
costs. Otherwise transition costs risk becoming permanent
and the whole system becomes more expensive rather than
cost-effective. Planning for scale up should focus on services
that contribute to the prevention of child vulnerabilities or
deinstitutionalisation as identified in NAPs, and on reproducing
the successful outcomes of a service (rather than simply replicating
its units). Specific objectives and timeframes set out in NAPs
can also provide the necessary guidance for how and when
transition funding will support the transformation period.
Flexible funding in transition is also an important element
for success. The process of deinstitutionalisation fluctuates
between quick spurts and long pauses due to the needs of
individual families and the success of alternative services in the
community.

Highlighting EU assistance in Serbia

In Serbia, social inclusion of vulnerable children is a priority for
the EU and the government, as reflected in key Enlargement
and national policies.45 To date, social inclusion initiatives
undertaken by the EU pursuant to its bilateral relationship
with the Serbian government touches upon World Visions
aforementioned recommendations.46
The EU intentionally fosters and supports partnerships
at the community level between local government, civil
society and the private sector for the development and
operation of community based services. The EU has been
supporting governments during transformation periods with
financial and technical assistance. While existing residential
institutions undergo planning for re-profiling or restructure
to alternative types of care, local governments and civil
society organisations are working in partnership to develop
cost-effective community based services that correspond to
transformation plans of those residential institutions.

To increase the access of vulnerable children to education,

pilot projects have included the expansion of preschools
capacities, and increased quality and diversification of
preschool programmes.
The EUs scale up initiatives also demonstrate how to scale up
services in line with the local social, institutional and political
contexts. Through mapping exercises, evidence gathering
and collaboration with communities and neighbouring
municipalities, the EU has empowered local governments
to understand their contexts to develop and implement
appropriate services. In the case of preschool education, in
areas where the demand for education is low, the common
use of preschool spaces between municipalities accessed
through joint transportation was suggested not only a
cost-effective method to increase and sustain access to
education, but a catalyst for better regional planning by local
governments.

The EU has also been engaged in scale up initiatives. These

initiatives have demonstrated how scale up can occur
without necessarily replicating the number of service units.

33

Conclusion
Recognising that EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood policies
provide unique incentives for political and economic reforms
in partner countries, the table is set for key reforms in child
protection. The EUs view of the Enlargement process and the
more for more approach emphasised in the Neighbourhood
policy verify this leverage at both the EU and partner country
levels.
Furthermore, in light of the new Pre-Accession Assistance
and ENI planned for 2014-2020, the EU can further provide
substantial support to partner countries to overcome many of
the key barriers to child protection reform and focus on the
next phase of reform. The EU can, and indeed must, position
the issue of child protection high on the political agenda,
adopt a comprehensive systems approach to reform, and
scale up successful, one-off services for greater impact among
beneficiary populations.
These efforts will bring about powerful and progressive
child protection reforms for short- and longer-term security,
democracy and economic prosperity.

34

35

References
Rapporteur Kolomeytsev, N., Child protection in the BSEC Member States: an assessment of recent developments, 2012, Doc. GA39/CC38/REP/12
(draft text considered and adopted by the Thirty-Eighth Meeting of the Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee in Sofia, on 21 March 2012 and
with approval by the Thirty-Ninth General Assembly scheduled in Yerevan on 24 May 2012).
2
The Job That Remains: An Overview of USAID Child Welfare Reform Efforts in Europe & Eurasia, USAID June 2009,
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/dem_gov/docs/the_job_that_remains_final_092209.pdf.
3
The estimated total number of children across Enlargement and ENP East countries (excluding Iceland and Turkey): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,
Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Data was collected, calculated and collated from
a variety of sources including: TransMONEE 2011 Database (http://www.transmonee.org/) and UNICEF. Disaggregated data for countries in which World
Vision operates is available in the section of this document entitled, Child Protection Landscape: Policy and Practice.
4
Chatwin, Mary Ellen, Middle East and Eastern Europe: Children in Development and Protection Assessment,, World Vision International, August 2007,
24.
5
The estimated total number of children across Enlargement and ENP East countries (excluding Iceland and Turkey): Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Data was collected,
calculated and collated based on the international minimum disability rate of 7% (International Federation of Persons with Physical Disability,
http://www.fimitic.org/) and child population data collected from a variety of sources including UNICEF. Disaggregated data for countries in which World
Vision operates is available in the section of this document entitled, Child Protection Landscape: Policy and Practice.
6
The estimated total number of children across Enlargement and ENP East countries (excluding Iceland and Turkey): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,
Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Data was collected, calculated and collated from a
variety of sources including: TransMONEE 2011 Database (http://www.transmonee.org/) and UNICEF. Disaggregated data for countries in which World
Vision operates is available in the section of this document entitled, Child Protection Landscape: Policy and Practice.
7
The estimated total number of children subject to some form of child labour across Enlargement and ENP East countries (excluding Iceland and Turkey):
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Data was
collected, calculated and collated from a variety of sources including UNICEF. Disaggregated data for countries in which World Vision operates is available in
the section of this document entitled, Child Protection Landscape: Policy and Practice.
8
International Labour Organisation, accessed 24 April 2012, http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/eurpro/moscow/areas/ipec.htm.
9
The estimated total number of children subject to some form of domestic abuse across Enlargement and ENP countries (except Iceland and Turkey; and
except Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Moldova because no data could be obtained): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus,
Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia. Data was collected, calculated and collated from a variety of sources including UNICEF. Disaggregated data for the countries
in which World Vision operates is available in the section of this document entitled, Child Protection Landscape: Policy and Practice.
10
Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children, UNICEF and The Body Shop International Stop Violence in the Home Campaign,
2006, http://www.unicef.org/protection/files/BehindClosedDoors.pdf.
11
According to the Soros Foundation and UNICEF; see Romania: The Price of Hearts, in Frontline Focus, World Vision International, 2009, http://meero.
worldvision.org/frontline-focus/oneinfour.html.
12
Emerging Challenges for Children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Focus on Disparities, in Key Findings the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in 12
Countries, UNICEF, http://www.micsinfo.org/Child_Protection.html.
13
United Nations Treaty Collection, Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, status as at: 25-04-2012, accessed 25 April 2012,
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&lang=en.
14
Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, signed at Lisbon, 13 December 2007,
2007/C 306/01.
15
Communication from the Commission, Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child {SEC(2006) 888} {SEC(2006) Brussels, 4.7.2006
COM(2006) 367 final; Communication from the Commission to the Council, The European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee
and the Committee of the Regions, A Special Place for Children in EU External Action {SEC(2008) 135} {SEC(2008) 136}; Communication from the
Commission to the European Parliament, The Council, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, An EU Agenda
for the Rights of the Child, Brussels, 15.2.2011 COM(2011) 60 final.
16
Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the occasion of the Universal Childrens Day, European Union, Brussels, 20 November 2010,
A 235/10, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/117891.pdf.
17
European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joint Communication to the European
Parliament and the Council, Human Rights and Democracy at the Heart of EU External Action Toward a More Effective Approach, 12.12.2011,
COM(2011) 886 final.
18
Communication from the Commission, Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child {SEC(2006) 888} {SEC(2006) Brussels, 4.7.2006 COM(2006)
367 final.
19
European Council in Copenhagen, 21-22 June 1993, Conclusions of the Presidency, DOC/93/3, 22/06/1993.
20
See for example, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 20112012 {SEC(2011) 1200 final} {SEC(2011) 1201 final} {SEC(2011) 1202 final} {SEC(2011) 1203 final} {SEC(2011) 1204 final} {SEC(2011) 1205 final}
{SEC(2011) 1206 final} {SEC(2011) 1207 final} Brussels, 12.10.2011 COM(2011) 666 final.
21
See for example, Stabilisation and Association Agreement Between the European Committees and Their Member States of the One Part, and the
Republic of Serbia, of the Other Part CE/SE/en 1; for other Stabilisation and Association Agreements, see European Commission, Enlargement, Candidate
Countries, and Enlargement, Potential Candidate Countries, accessed 24 April 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm.
1

36

See for example, 2008/210/EC: Council Decision of 18 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the European Partnership
with Albania and repealing Decision 2006/54/EC, (European Partnership), Official Journal L 080, 19/03/2008, 0001-0017; for other European Partnerships,
see European Commission, Enlargement, Candidate Countries, and Enlargement, Potential Candidate Countries, accessed 24 April 2012, http://
ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm.
23
See for example, Commission Decision C(2007)2497 of 18/06/2007 on a Multi-annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD) 2007-2009 for Serbia; for
other MIPDs, see European Commission, Enlargement, Planning of the IPA, accessed 24 April 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/how-does-it-work/
financial-assistance/planning-ipa_en.htm.
24
European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2011 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (2011/2157(INI)).
25
See for example, 2008/210/EC: Council Decision of 18 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the European Partnership
with Albania and repealing Decision 2006/54/EC, (European Partnership), Official Journal L 080, 19/03/2008, 0001-0017; for other European Partnerships,
see European Commission, Enlargement, Candidate Countries, and Enlargement, Potential Candidate Countries, accessed 24 April 2012, http://
ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm.
26
See for example, EU/Armenia Action Plan; for other ENP Action Plans, see European Commission, European Neighbourhood Policy, ENP Action Plans
and Country Reports, accessed 24 April 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/documents_en.htm#2.
27
See for example, European Commission progress reports for Albania: European Commission, Enlargement, Albania Country Profile, accessed 24 April
2012, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/potential-candidates/albania/index_en.htm.
28
World Vision recognises decentralisation as an important element to, and of, democracy; the focus here is that the process of decentralisation, which aligns
local authorities with responsibility, resources and capacity, has been met with challenges that in turn affect child protection reform.
29
These successes are also noted by the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS)
and the Baltic States in, Lessons Learned from Social Welfare System Reform and Some Planning Tips, Occasional Paper, Child Protection Series, Geneva,
December 2004, http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/Social.Welfare.Reform.lessons.pdf.
30
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010-2011 {SEC(2010)
1326} {SEC(2010) 1327} {SEC(2010) 1328} {SEC(2010) 1329} {SEC(2010) 1330} {SEC(2010) 1331} {SEC(2010) 1332} {SEC(2010) 1334}
{SEC(2010) 1335} Brussels, 9.11. 2010 COM(2010) 660.
31
This principle is the key aspect of the renewed Neighbourhood Policy. It provides for greater differentiation among partners, in line with their commitment
to the jointly agreed values and objectives, and notably to the partnership with the EU focused on democracy and shared prosperity. As stated by the
European Commission, [f]inancial incentives for the most ambitious reformers are an important aspect of the new approach. As a policy-driven Instrument,
the future European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) should reflect this key principle, especially for programming and allocating support to the partners.
European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Neighbourhood Instrument
{SEC(2011) 1466 final} {SEC(2011) 1467 final} Brussels, 7.12.2011 COM(2011) 839 final 2011/0405 (COD).
32
Welcoming Europes Youngest: How the EU Accession Process Transformed Child Protection in Romania, World Vision International, April 2012.
33
Ibid.
34
The UN Secretary recommended that, all States develop a multi-faceted and systematic framework in response to violence against
children which is integrated into national planning processes. As noted in Pinheiro, P.S., World Report on Violence Against Children, UNICEF, 2006,
18.
35
See generally, Child Protection Systems Mapping and Assessment Toolkit, Users Guide, UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/protection/Mapping_and_
Assessment_users_guide_Toolkit(2).pdf.
36
Baseline Assessment for Engagement with Government for Child Welfare Reform Programme 2011-2014, (funded by AusAID), World Vision
International, 2011.
37
European Commission, Mid-term Meta Evaluation of IPA Assistance, Evaluation Report, Project No. 2010/231987 Final Version, 7, http://ec.europa.
eu/enlargement/pdf/financial_assistance/phare/evaluation/20110912_meta_eval_final.pdf.
38
See for example, Armenia National Action Plan for Child Protection 2004-2015.
39
European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II)
{SEC(2011) 1462 final} {SEC(2011) 1463 final} Brussels, 7.12.2011 COM(2011) 838 final 2011/0404 (COD).
40
SMART is a mnemonic used to set objectives that are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, TIME-BOUND.
41
See for example, Indicators for monitoring progress, in Albania Strategy for Social Inclusion 2007-2013, Chapter 4.
42
See generally, Scale Up for Child Protection: Unlocking the Stalemate Between National Commitments and Localised Success, World Vision International,
February 2012.
43
Worldwide, one of the most utilised strategies for scale up is having government agencies take over NGO programmes after they have demonstrated
success; see Think Large and Act Small: Toward a New Paradigm for NGO Scaling Up, World Development, 2000, Vol. 28, No. 8, 1409-1419.
44
Based on the principle proposed for the Armenian context in, Towards Alternative Child Care Services in Armenia: Costing Residential Care Institutions
and Community Based Services, UNICEF, July 2010, http://www.unicef.org/armenia/Costing_Residential_Care_Institutions_in_Armenia_report_eng.pdf.
45
Refer to the European Partnership, MIPDs and Commission progress reports, see European Commission, Enlargement, Serbia Country profile,
accessed 24 April 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/potential-candidates/serbia/index_en.htm; and, for example, National Plan of Action 2004-2015
and National Investment Plan.
46
See European Commission, Enlargement, Serbia Financial Assistance, (Project Fiches Social Inclusion Project 2008, Preschool Education Project 2009
and Deinstitutionalisation and Social Inclusion Project 2011), accessed 24 April 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/candidate-countries/serbia/financialassistance/index_en.htm.
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