International Programmes: Moldova

• Project: Juvenile Justice Reform Evaluation
• Partner: UNICEF Moldova
• Time frame: 2011

The Centre was contracted by UNICEF to conduct an evaluation of UNICEF's project "Reform of the Juvenile Justice System in Moldova". The project aimed to strengthen the juvenile justice system to ensure child friendly procedures (including providing alternative to detention and services for children at risk of offending) in compliance with international standards.  The overall purpose of the evaluation was to evaluate the results and achievements of the project in relation to the project objectives and to provide insight into the current status of the juvenile justice system.  The evaluation included recommendations for next steps in the reform process, and provided an important source of information for further policy work and programming.

• Project: Establishing a Local Child Rights NGO
• Building local capacity of a Child Rights NGO
• Partner: Sigrid Rausing Trust
• Time frame: 2005-2009

Through our work in Moldova, we identified that there was a lack of effective local NGOs providing legal assistance to vulnerable children and advocating for legal reform. In order to plug this gap, CCLC established a local NGO . We have been assisting local staff to develop the legal assistance services, profile and capacity of the Child Rights Centre Moldova.

The local NGO has provided legal information, advice and representation to children, young people, their parents or carers, taking and winning a number of ground breaking cases. The NGO has also provided technical assistance to UNICEF and the Government of Moldova and legal opinions on the reform of child related legislation.

Coram Children's Legal Centre continues to provide technical support and assistance to the NGO to ensure its development and sustainability.

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Further Information: Child Protection

• Project: Child Protection Reform
• Analysing and identifying areas for reform within the Moldovan child protection system
• Partner: UNICEF Moldova
• 2007-2008

In 2007-2008, CCLC provided legal expertise to support the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child to reform the child protection system in Moldova. The project team reviewed and analysed the laws, regulations, standards and procedures related to the child protection system reform, in particular reform of services for vulnerable children, including children with disabilities and children placed in residential institutions. The project included analysis of laws and policies related to social policy, child protection and developed recommendations for the reform of the legal and regulatory framework related to reform of the child protection and residential care systems and the development of community-based social care services.

• Project: Juvenile Justice Project Evaluation
• Evaluation of UNICEF's Juvenile Justice project in Moldova
• Partner: UNICEF Moldova
• Time frame: 2006

Coram Children's Legal Centre provided a comprehensive evaluation of UNICEF's juvenile justice programme in Moldova, as part of a regional review of programmes, in order to inform future development of the agency's work.

Further Information: Juvenile Justice

• Project: Establishing Child Commissions
• Legislative reform leading to the establishment of Children Commission and development of fostering regulations.
• Partner: EU Tacis
• Time frame: 2004-2006

Under an EU Tacis 1 project from 2004-2006, Professor Hamilton and a CCLC consultant worked as EU experts on legislative reform , especially legislation on gate-keeping, the establishment of Children's Commissions in three pilot areas of the country and on fostering regulations. The Children's Commissions are community-based commissions which monitor the work of ‘social services', in particular the decision to place the child outside its family. The purpose of the Commissions was not only to ensure that social services adhered to its ‘Regulation with Regard to the Placement of Children in Difficulty in Family-type Services, Family-type Environment or Residential Care', but also to encourage community involvement and responsibility in child protection .

In 2006, Coram Children's Legal Centre followed up this work with an evaluation of the Children's Commissions. The evaluation of the regulation and the work of the Commissions included conclusions on the relevance of the Commissions' mandate and their inspection and monitoring role as well as the provision of children's services.

Further Information: System Reform ; Evaluation ; Research and Analysis

• Project: Law on Child Rights Reform
• Acting as a legal expert appointed by the Council of Europe to comment on the Law on Child Rights in Moldova.
• Partner: Council of Europe
• Time frame: 2002

In 2002, the Director of the CCLC, Professor Carolyn Hamilton, was appointed by the Council of Europe as a legal expert to comment on the Law on Child Rights in Moldova. In the same year, she undertook a UNICEF consultancy to assist in drafting new legislation on the rights of the child in difficult circumstances. During these consultancies, she worked as legal expert in researching and analysing the draft law and in making recommendations for its reform .

Further Information: Child Protection