engleski

DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF INSTITUTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS IN CROATIA WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH - IN THE MIDDLE OF (NO)WHERE? -

The Plan for Transformation and Deinstitutionalization of Social Welfare Homes and Other Legal Entities Providing Social Welfare Services in Republic of Croatia for the period 2011-2018 was created as the basic strategic document for planning the network of institutional care and social welfare activities. The purpose of the Plan was to reduce the need for institutional care, while establishing a diversity of new forms of child care, in particular to increase family- and community-based care services for children. When it comes to transforming institutions for children with behavioural problems, the Plan envisioned that by the end of 2016, the number of children in these institutions will be reduced by 40% and that this group of children will be provided with adequate family- and community-based care. In Croatia, there are 9 institutions for treatment of children with behaviour problems, that accommodate around 350 children. By the end of 2017, only one of the nine institutions successfully completed the transformation process. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on the conditions and context of deinstitutionalization and the process of transformation of the institutions for children with behavioural problems from several key aspects: current offer of treatment programs and interventions in institutions and communities, competences of professionals in transformation process, research related to needs and risks of children and education of future professionals. Overview of these three perspectives: the policy perspective, the perspective of professionals and the perspective of the academic community, is focused on relatively slow process of transformation of institutions for children with behavioural problems in Croatia. The aim of this paper (as well as the aim of entire deinstitutionalization process) is the right of children to live in a stable, healthy and happy (family) environment with adequate care and intervention. The main perspective, the one of children in care, will be presented through research results and some action projects in which children clearly advocate their right to quality care.

Deinstitutionalization, Transformation, Behavioural problems, Children ;

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