A CONSOLIDATING AND GROWING PROJECT

Within the technical cooperation project that we are currently undertaking in Corrientes province alongside UNICEF Argentina, on May 8 we launched our learning platform, the CEN (Centre of Excellence for Children). The launch was made during a support activity for the previous training on the implementation of the Protocol for the Prevention of abandonment, unnecessary separations, and institutionalisation of young children, organised by COPNAF.

This activity included the participation of operators and professionals (mostly social workers, psychologists, and lawyers) from different areas (health, education, justice, police, and academicians, among others).

We invite you to read this important news on the reach of the Corrientes province programme for the Prevention of abandonment and institutionalisation of young children. The programme’s action protocol was turned into a draft law by Javier Sáez, provincial deputy of the Partido Popular (PP, People’s Party), who presented it in parliament. You can find the article here (in Spanish).

Universal Child Allowance (Asignación Universal por Hijo, AUH)

On June 29, Matilde Luna, RELAF’s Director, and part of her team were present at a meeting of the Committee of Senator Advisors. Matilde Luna spoke about the importance of having the AUH reach children and adolescents currently living in full-time residential institutions.

Nowadays, the AUH is received only by children in parental care, with the condition of their parents not having formal income and submitting proof that their children have access to health and education. In RELAF, we understand that this allowance is a right of every child, not only of some of them. In this sense, we proposed to change this law in order to have all children under residential care be able to receive the AUH, with the condition that the institutions that house these children provide proof that the allowance received is being used to engage in deinstitutionalisation processes, which are necessary to restore these children’s right to family life. If these changes are approved, children in foster care could benefit from the allowance as well. Because of this, we strongly support the initiative by the National Senator for the Misiones province, Sandra Giménez.

In addition to our presentation, other speakers took part in the meeting and talked about the situation of deinstitutionalisation in the region from their own experience and areas of work: Miguel Ángel Molina (Ombudsman for the Protection of the Rights of the Child of Misiones Province), Victoria Martin (Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of Hope and Homes for Children), and Martin Punaks (Global Director for Training and Advising of Lumos). All speakers agreed that the allowance is very important to carry out deinstitutionalisation processes.

We expect to have positive results on this matter in the short term.