We conducted a series of training sessions on the new regulations regarding alternative care, which came into effect on January 1st of this year. These seminars were developed and managed by the Audit team from DIPROE.

From RELAF, we wish to congratulate the completion of these actions, which are meant to ensure the necessary implementation of the new regulations and their protocols, which reflect the standards and guidelines of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children and which we have technically supported during their creation. Said Regulations, as well as their protocols, were presented at the 25th Regular Meeting of the Niñ@Sur Standing Committee.

RELAF participated in the organisation and conduction of seminars within the framework of the 25th Regular Meeting of the Niñ@Sur Standing Committee, with dissertations by Matilde Luna in the seminar "Alternative Care of children and adolescents in the region: progress, gaps and challenges", and in the seminar "Protection of children against violence in the new agenda of sustainable development: Promoting good treatment and the prohibition of all kinds of physical and humiliating harm against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean".

On November 23rd, the seminar "Alternative Care of children and adolescents in the region: progress, gaps and challenges " took place within the framework of the 25th Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Niñ@Sur.

After the opening words, Matilde Luna opened the event with the presentation "Deinstitutionalisation processes within the framework of the comprehensive protection system: current situation, relevance of baselines, and monitoring”. 

On November 24, at the Crowne Plaza Asunción, the seminar "Protection of children against violence in the new agenda of sustainable development: promoting good treatment and the prohibition of all kinds of physical and humiliating harm against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean" was held. This is one of the previous meetings taking place in the framework of the 27th Meeting of High Level Authorities in Human Rights of MERCOSUR (RAADH) of the Presidency Pro Tempore of Paraguay.

On November 25, Matilde Luna participated in the 25th Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee for the Niñ@SUR Initiative, a work meeting of a fundamental importance when it comes to the alternative care of children deprived of parental care as well as the care of the migrant children of MERCOSUR.

The meeting was held with the presence of delegations from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela as state parties, and delegations from Chile, Ecuador and Colombia as Associated States and civil society organisations, as well as with the presence of the Argentine Delegation. The Alternative Care of children and adolescents was one of the main topics of the official agenda.

In that context, the regulation for the Alternative Care of Children and Adolescents in foster care programmes and shelter entities was also presented. The progress made in preparing a draft law on the subject was shown. Moreover, experiences and progress on the issue at a regional level were shared.

The conclusions and recommendations of the Seminar on Alternative Care held on November 23 were also presented. Finally, a very important step was taken when it comes to the protection of the alternative care of children and adolescents in the MERCOSUR: the IPPDH (Institute of Public Policy on Human Rights Mercosur) was entrusted with the preparation of "Guidelines for the strengthening and guarantee of alternative care and of the right of children to family life”. 

Read the full report here: ACTA nº02-15 MERCOSUR RAADH

The RELAF team contributed with technical analysis for the bill draft "Rules for the alternative care of children and adolescents in foster care programmes and shelter entities" and the respective protocols and policies related to it.

This Regulation constitutes a specialised body to establish guiding principles and standards, this being one of the commitments assumed by the Paraguayan State before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH). Its aim is to modify the "Regulations for the authorisation and operation of Shelters for adolescents and children in the special protection system" in order to reconcile it with the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Also, the regulatory standards draft is in line with the National Policy on Special Protection for Children separated from their families (PONAPROE), with the joint experience of the children Adoption Center, the Directorate of Special Protection for Children separated from their families, and organisations of the civil society specialising in the subject.

In the beginning of August, we launched in Paraguay the Call to Action to end the institutionalisation of all children under 3 years old. The launch was run by the Paraguayan State, with the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence as its representative. This particular event was the culmination of the work and efforts coordinated by the country's governmental and civil entities.

Prior to this key event, a string of activities and conferences was carried out, part of an agenda devised within the scope of The Call to Action. In preparation, RELAF met with Minister Carlos Zárate Fleitas and Fátima Cabrera, Director of DIPROE, in order to develop an initial diagnosis regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant public policies. This was done with the aim of promoting the deinstitutionalisation processes of children below 3 years of age in Paraguay. RELAF also met with Dr. Alicia Pucheta de Correa, Minister of the Paraguayan Supreme Court, in the Palace of Justice, in order to discuss the role of the Judiciary with regard to the deinstitutionalisation of all children from 0 to 3 years of age; representatives of DIPROE and the Human Rights Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice were also in attendance.

Providing continuity to the coordination of actors for the Call to Action, RELAF attended a conference organised by the Coordinadora por los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia (Coordination for the Rights of Children and Adolescents). UNICEF and NGOs, such as Corazones por la Infancia, Enfoque Niñez and SOS Children's Villages, were also present.

Lastly, RELAF worked in collaboration with the chief representative of UNICEF Paraguay, Mrs. Rosa Elcarte, and Assistant Protection Specialist Official, Andrea Cid Pasquali.

Protocol event: Declaration of the Call to Action

After a day of expositions by NGOs (Corazones por la Infancia, Enfoque Niñez and RELAF), the Judiciary (judges and attorneys), the National Secretariat for Childhood and Adolescence (represented by DIPROE) and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, the signing of the Declaration of the Call to Action took place. The declaration was signed by Minister Fleitas; by the Public Defense Minister, Noyme Yore Ismael; by Andrea Cid, from UNICEF; and by Nury Montiel, from the Supreme Court. The following persons were honourable witnesses to the signing: Rosa María Orti, Rapporteur on Children’s Rights of the IAHRC and specialist in childhood-related issues; Diana Vargas, representative from the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture; Raquel Fernández, Executive Director of CDIA, in representation of the civil society; and Matilde Luna, Director of RELAF.

As of 2008, RELAF has carried out cooperation activities with the Adoption Centre of the Paraguayan childhood governmental body.

The different actors that work towards the fulfilment of deinstitutionalisation processes have succeeded in creating a Paraguayan foster care network, which comprises Corazones por la Infancia and Enfoque Niñez NGOs and the childhood government authority, represented by the Adoption Centre of the Paraguayan childhood governmental body.

One of the main achievements was the shutting down of “Hogarcito” (“Little Home”), an institutional facility for babies dependent on the Adoption Centre. The 22 babies that lived there during the beginning of the transformation process started to be looked after by foster families, and the procedures of integration to their families of origin or adoptive families were expedited. Currently, there is a strong commitment on the part of governmental authorities, NGOs and technicians to achieve the deinstitutionalisation of babies. They are planning to deinstitutionalise 20% of the population of children and adolescents at a national level in a one-year period.

At RELAF, we strongly support the continuity of the Paraguayan Network’s projects despite the political and institutional challenges the country has gone through this year, and will continue to support them.

For more information, please visit http://www.corazonesporlainfancia.org.py/doc/relaf.pdf

BA Marina Sawatzky, the psychologist in charge of the Adoption Centre of the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence, has shared with us the latest advances in Paraguay in relation to foster care. During the last year, the process of approval of the Decree on Foster Care took place, and it was finally signed by the President of the Republic.

On the other hand, the Adoption Centre is putting a great deal of effort into the preparation of intervention protocols for each area, including the Foster Care area. Undoubtedly, these protocols are important working tools that will strengthen the professional practice with a human rights approach.

Let’s celebrate the advances in Paraguay, achieved thanks to the joint efforts and hard work put in by the governmental authorities, the NGOs, the technical teams and the families that strive to fulfil the right of children to family life!

Presidential Decree N° 5196, which establishes the Foster Care Programme for children and adolescents in need of protection and support”

The recently approved Decree deals with the causes of the separation of the child from their family of origin and highlights the provisional nature of this measure. It establishes that, when facing a necessary separation, the State and the civil society must provide alternative care that protects the rights of the child, “among which the right to develop in a family or family environment is essential”. With relation to foster care, following the guidelines of the Code of Childhood and Adolescence, the Decree establishes that “the children’s contact and life with their close family or affective environment must be maintained”, which gives an important role to the children’s extended family and affective referents. It also gives a definition of Foster Care and establishes that its regulation will be under the responsibility of the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence. It is important to note that, among the characteristics of this practice, the Decree mentions that “foster care is to be implemented along with the maintenance of the child’s bond with their family of origin” and that “it will be temporary and will last until the definitive situation of the child or adolescent is decided”.

For further information, please visit the section “Presentations” in the 2010 Seminar page in our website, where you will find a presentation by Paraguay about the Presidential Decree N° 5196

By Judith Aude, member of the RELAF Latin American Consultative Council, and Matilde Luna, Director of RELAF.

On May 10, 11 and 12, technical cooperation activities were held in Asunción to give continuity to the assistance process that RELAF has been carrying out since 2008 to deinstitutionalise babies from the adoption centres in Paraguay. The Director of the Adoption Centre, Magui Palau, and the Coordinator of Adoptions, María Elena Verdún, were the local referents for the carrying out of activities; Judith Aude and Matilde Luna, representing RELAF, also took part.

The agenda began on the 10th with a meeting with the technical teams of adoption and foster care, as well as the supervisory team of the institutions. During the meeting, after exhibitions by RELAF (an exhibition by Matilde Luna on the situation of foster care in the region and another one by Judith Aude on the experience of foster care in Uruguay), the Director of the Centre presented the last progresses in and main results of the process of deinstitutionalisation of babies from the “Hogarcito” (“Little Home”):

- The “Hogarcito”, which used to be an institutional centre for babies dependent under the orbit of the Adoption Centre of the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence, has been shut down. The 22 babies that lived there at the beginning of the transformation process started to be looked after by foster families and the procedures to integrate them into their families of origin or adoptive families were expedited.

- Indicators to identify the physical and emotional developments of babies after they are integrated into a family are under construction. Enfoque Niñez professionals, in coordination with the Adoption Centre, are implementing tests to evaluate the areas of emotion, physique, intelligence and social integration. The first data state that there is substantial advance in the development of the babies.

- A public and private co-management has been achieved, which strengthens the existing network between the Centre of Adoptions and the NGOs Enfoque Niñez and Corazones por la Infancia, REDNAD. The technicians value the gathering of collective learnings and the level of trust between the actors enabled by REDNAF, which made the co-management of this transforming experience possible.

- There is a strong conviction on the part of the technicians to prevent the entrance of children into institutions and to promote their deinstitutionalisation, despite the uncertainty as to the capacity to include all children (institutions seem to have no limit regarding the number of children they can include, while the opposite seems to be the case of foster care).

It is important to note that the authorities and technical teams intend to maintain the high quality of the service. In order to do so, they will hire 18 pairs of professionals to supervise those organisations that provide shelter to children and to give trainings.

The implementation of intervention protocols for the different services of the Adoption Centre will contribute to the quality of the services. There is a projection to deinstitutionalise 20% of institutionalised children throughout the country in the coming year. In this sense, audiovisual material to recruit foster families country-wide is being produced and will be broadcast continuously.

Relaf also held interviews with two of the foster families of the Programme. They kindly received the experts and shared their valuable experiences. The families of the Foster Care Progamme are very diverse due to their different histories, desires, bonds, but they all have one thing in common:  they do not remain unmoved before the lack of protection suffered by some children in Paraguay and, therefore, open their doors to look after others, always respecting their identities and personal histories and creating an opportunity to provide a permanent family-based childcare response.

.On the 11th, a workshop was held with the organizations that make up the National Foster Care Network of Paraguay. They evaluated the advances, facilitators and obstacles, as well as the coordination and communication among members and the present and future role of the network.

To continue the agenda of activities, working meetings were held with relevant governmental representatives: the Minister for Childhood, Liz Torres, and her adviser, Miguel Gómez. The attendants exchanged information about the shutting down of “Hogarcito” and about the need to have this experience replicated in other sectors of the population. The Minister visualizes the inclusion of the civil society in the making of policies, the strengthening of family-based care alternatives and the restructuring of children’s shelters.

To end the activities in Asunción, Matilde Luna and Judith Aude were generously received by Rosa María Ortiz, a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. During the meeting they reviewed the situation of children and adolescents in Latin America and the reports, evaluations and recommendations of the UN Committee to the countries, particularly the ones related to the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. In this review of the advances and pending tasks, Ortiz highlighted the presence of international cooperation bodies in the adaptation of the regulatory frameworks in the different countries and the relevance of their support for the transformation of children’s institutions, in order to achieve the implementation of the Guidelines, particularly for training activities. We agree with the expert, who highlights the fundamental role of the Ombudsmen’s Offices in the processes of change and the demand of rights, as well as the promotion of a clear strengthening of institutions focusing on the guarantee of children’s rights. Besides, Rosa María Ortiz highlighted the role of RELAF in the continent to facilitate and guide the necessary changes

These days of work have been very enriching and intense for all those involved. From RELAF, we expect to keep rooting childcare alternatives in Latin America that guarantee the right to family and community life of all children. To do so, we need the commitment and engagement of the governments, the civil society, the families, the institutions and the international organisations, so that children are given priority in government policies and can live their lives in full exercise of their human rights.

RELAF, through Matilde Luna, keeps on accompanying the design and execution of the pilot project “Deinstitutionalisation and transformation of childhood services”.

This cooperation has the purpose of facilitating the transformation process of services for early childhood, taking into account the commitment shown by the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence to RELAF in October 2008. Since then, the Adoption Centre (dependent of this Secretariat) has begun a process of evaluation and revision of the modalities of family- based care that were implemented during the 10 years of existence of the institution, with the purpose of creating new modalities framed in Integral Protection, with a view to achieve the deinstitutionalisation of children between 0 and 5 years of age in Paraguay.

This project is currently being designed by professionals from the Adoption Centre, from the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence, and from the NGO Enfoque Niñez. The Adoption Centre’s foster care team, directed by Victoria Ontañón, is actively working in the project. The team is formed by Maria Elena Verdún, Evelyn Cattebeke, Felicina Meza and Marina Sawatzky. For its part, the NGO Enfoque Niñez has a working team devoted to this task, comprised by Leticia Rodríguez, Livia González and Alejandra Rodríguez, under the coordination of Magui Palau.

Since 2008, technical assistance has been provided to the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence of Paraguay, as well as to non-governmental organisations Enfoque Niñez and Corazones por la Infancia, both members of the National Network of Foster Care (REDNAF).

Regarding the Secretariat, assistance was given to technical teams of adoption and foster care and to the team that supervises the children’s institutions.

The result of the efforts of the local organisations was a public-private co-management, strengthening the existing foster care network between the Adoption Centre, Enfoque Niñez and Corazones por la Infancia. One of the biggest achievements has been the closing down of the “Hogarcito”, a Centre of internment of children that used to be under the orbit of the Adoption Centre of the Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence. After the transformation process, the 22 babies who were institutionalised went to be cared for in foster families and the process of bonding with the family of origin or adoptive family was sped up.

Contact information for Corazones por la Infancia:
Sucre 2641 entre Denis Roa y Emeterio Miranda. Asunción, Paraguay
Telefax: +595 21 601262.
Email: fundacion@corazonesporlainfancia.org.py .
Website: www.corazonesporlainfancia.org.py

Contact information for Enfoque Niñez:
Zanotti Cavazonni 253 - Asunción, Paraguay
Tel: (595 21) 200 150 / 223 925 / (595 21) 223 925 y (595 21) 200 150
Email: recursos@enfoqueninez.org.py
Website: www.enfoqueninez.org.py

During October 20, 21 and 22, a series of meetings was held in Asunción, Paraguay with the aim of improving the situation of children without parental care, with the participation of Matilde Luna, the RELAF Project Leader. The activities were organised by the Paraguayan Foster Care Network, which is made up of civil society organisations NGOs Corazones por la Infancia and Enfoque Niñez, and the childhood government authority, represented by the Adoption Centre. Initially, a work meeting with the three entities was held at the seat of Enfoque Niñez.

On the 20th, a meeting was held between the Minister of the Supreme Court, Alicia Pucheta, REDNAF representatives and Matilde Luna, and in the afternoon a conference with judges and childhood advocates was carried out. Exhibitions and debates revolved around the protection of the rights of children in the framework of judicial proceedings. Doctors Lourdes Barbosa and Alicia Mingo, Childhood Secretariat authorities, also participated in this activity.

On the second day, professionals and operators from different childhood organisations of Paraguay gathered at a Training conference. The activity was opened by Minister Liz Torres. Diana Pérez of Fundación Corazones por la Infancia, María Elena Verdún of the Adoption Centre, Magui Palau of Enfoque Niñez and other members of REDNAF-PY, together with Matilde Luna, presented at the “Foster Care Seminar. An approach from the right of every child to family-based care”. Different issues related to the care of children without parental care were discussed, as well as the Draft of the UN Guidelines, and the implementation of Foster Care and its characteristics in Paraguay according to REDNAF-PY and Matilde Luna. A meeting with foster families was held at the seat of Corazones por la Infancia. Families shared their testimonies and exchanged with the RELAF Project Leader from their experiences as foster families.

Lastly, on the third day a meeting was held at the Secretariat of Childhood with the authorities and the chief of Adoption Centre, Alicia Mingo, and her team, who evaluated all the activities and the continuity of actions that lead to the improvement and the development of an alternative care system with a human rights approach. These meetings were very enriching and allowed us to better understand the current situation of foster care and its possible scope in Paraguay, in the framework of the protection of the rights of children without parental care.