TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN GUATEMALA

Working for the creation of a comprehensive national child care and protection system

From May 30 to June 4, a joint work schedule took place in Guatemala between UNICEF Guatemala, Hope and Homes for Children, CHEMONICS, RELAF, the Secretariat of Social Welfare of the Presidency, the Guatemalan Federal Attorney’s office, the Judiciary, the National Adoption Council, civil society organisations, and private Guatemalan residential institutions.

The activities aimed at providing technical support to the improvements in the Foster Care Programmes and at scheduling many meetings and discussion groups on Foster Care, standards for residential care, deinstitutionalisation strategies, and parental care strengthening, among others.

Likewise, from RELAF we supported the diffusion of the foster families recruitment carried out during April and May by the Secretariat of Social Welfare along with the organisations Refugio de la Niñez, Buckner Guatemala, and SOS Children’s Villages Guatemala. All the calls had a great turnout, gathering almost 100 people amongst all workshops. These people are currently in the evaluation stage.

To conclude, we would like to share with you this piece of information from a local newspaper on the foster care programme of the Secretariat of Social Welfare. We will continue to inform you on the progresses achieved and challenges found in the country, which still has a long way to go in order to guarantee the implementation of a comprehensive child protection system that does not violate the rights of its children.