IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL CARE

Matilde Luna and Irene Agoglia, Technical Assistant from RELAF, visited Quito on December 7 and 8, and, working from the headquarters of UNICEF Ecuador, had two intensive days of meetings within the framework of the workshop "Analysis of the comprehensive protection system and the implementation of alternative care in Ecuador: current status and recommendations for their adaptation to international principles and standards".

Several local and regional players participated and presented their work experiences, such as authorities and representatives from the Secretariat of Special Protection MIES - Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion - Ecuador, and professionals from various organizations of civil society that are developing foster care programs: Danielle Children's Fund (Ambato, Tungurahua Province), Fundación Cristo de la Calle (Ibarra, Imbabura), Hogar de Niños Inés Chambers (Guayas Province), and SOS Children's Villages Ecuador

Together we conducted an analysis of the key principles and standards of human rights to build a comprehensive protection system and a sub-system of alternative care that can guarantee the right to family life, identifying critical points, lessons learned from other countries in the region, challenges, and opportunities to serve as references for the analysis of the situation in Ecuador, with the possibility of a technical cooperation between UNICEF, RELAF and MIES for 2016.