“Child Protection Units”- a new reality for children in Albania
Tirane, 12 December 2007. Save the Children in Albania and TACT organized the National Conference on Child Protection in Tirana.
The Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Chances, Save the Children Programme Director, Terre des hommes Head of Mission, USAID, UNICEF representative, head of municipalities, child protection experts and social workers gathered to discuss the provision and expansion of protection services for children across Albania.
This conference also serves as a springboard for developing a strategy for future replication of CPUs and for further improvements in the provision of protection services for children in the years to come.
“We look forward to work in close cooperation with municipal and state authorities to achieve the aim of a safe and protective environment for all children in Albania” expressed Veslemoy Naerdland, Save the Children Programme Director.
USAID Mission Director, Edward T. Landau echoed the need for continued cooperation between NGOs, donors, and the government. “Successful anti-trafficking initiatives rely on the cooperation of all actors to identify and protect those at risk of being trafficked,” said Landau “USAID is pleased to support this cooperation between our project, TACT, and local government institutions across Albania with the continuation of these Child Protection Units. “
In 2006 six municipal-level Child Protection Units (CPU) were established with the support of the multi-national child protection Transnational Action against Child Trafficking (TACT) program and Save the Children and with the support of UNICEF. These structures have been established and are functioning in the municipalities of Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë, Pogradec and Kucova. Their role is to analyze and monitor the economic and social situations of vulnerable children and families and provide protection services. CPUs have been integral in creating a network of quality social service providers that strengthen Albania’s Child Rights Protection System.
Child Protection Units have achieved significant progress in their first year of work. They have identified and followed-up hundreds of children in need of protection. The CPUs have identified and managed reported cases of children, by offering direct services like counseling and family support or by coordinating and referring with other public or private actors in the field.