4. Families

 

 

 

 

 

Families becoming fragile require support and specific policies need to be developed at local, national, and regional levels. These policies should imply a particular attention to single-parent families (of which the head of the household is most frequently a woman) who often live in a situation of economic precariousness and social isolation.

It is important that in the poorest countries, families have the means to provide, even modestly, to their own material needs through income generating activities. Such a situation strengthens their autonomy, their self-esteem as well as their capability to exercise fully their educational responsibilities.

Networks of professionals in domestic issues, of social workers, psychologists, educators and others should be developed at local and community level and their capabilities reinforced.

A well organized voluntary familiar mutual aid, set up with professionals, can constitute a source of well-being for families and children.

In the meantime, in order to ensure the best interest of the child, we need to deepen our reflection on fundamental topics such as the need for stability, especially during the early childhood, the complementary role of a father and a mother, difficulties related to a conflicting family ...

 

 

Every single case of ill-treatment allows estimating and considering parents' educational skills and eventually to choose a personalized system for the child (institutions, emergency houses, fostering families, open residential centres) as well as to foresee assistance and accompanying measures for parents or legal guardians so that the preservation of the links with them is as beneficial as possible.

Very often, in Western Europe, children remain in or return to their family of origin. These situations are generally destined to failure when parents have not benefited from a psychological support program. In Eastern Europe and in CIS countries, a child placed in an institution has few chances to return to his/her family of origin because the deprivation of parental rights is often a definitive measure [47].

 

Considerable efforts still have to be done.

We observe too many interventions, which do not take into account children's need of creating bonds, and divide their history in "periods" of specialized socio-educational, psychiatric, psychotherapeutic interventions according to different emergency centres or to various foster families. An early identification of situations at risk has still to be improved as well as the prevention of abusive behaviours. It is indeed an issue to combat ill-treatment, but even more essential to promote an environment of well treatment.

 

 

 

[47] If in Russia the new Code of the Family (1995) declares that children should as much as possible remain with their families -a legislative evolution to welcome - the willingness to reverse the tendency is weak and the State does not provide with the necessary tools to carry out this reform.