How we work?

In Georgia EveryChild works closely with government partners and other nongovernmental organizations to support major changes to the current childcare system. A significant achievement has been the introduction of family support, reintegration and foster care services. We have shown that families can remain together if they are given the help they need, demonstrating that family-based alternatives to institutional care are achievable solutions. As a result, the government has begun to implement a programme – with our continued support – to dismantle the existing system of institutional care for children and replace it with a range of community-based services.

What did we achieve?

• EveryChild developed a first retraining model for child and family social workers and since 1999 assisted the government of Georgia to set up teams of social workers in different localities of the country .

• More than 3000 children have been assisted through the new system of child care and were either prevented from being separated from biological families or returned to caring family environment.

• EveryChild provided its technical support to the government in implementing its optimisation plans aimed at reduction of residential care placements and transformation of institutions into family substitute and/or family and community support services. There are currently two of such services funded by the state and managed by EveryChild: Tianeti Community Centre for vulnerable children and Rustavi Small Group Home.

• EveryChild has piloted mutliagency cooperation model for child protection, developed a number of guidelines on operation and supervision of child and family social workers, set up procedures for recruitment and training of foster carers, participated in elaboration and piloting of the first national standards of child care.

• EveryChild has also conducted a number of studies on child care services including the Mapping of Child care Services in Georgia, Baseline Data Analysis of Referrals to Residential Care and Social Services, Child Care Needs Assessment of Kutaisi and Telavi communities; produced a great number of reports and recommendations on child welfare policy, including child protection legislation, Standards, Monitoring and Inspection for New Child Care System, Service Planning, Service Licensing issues, etc.

“We use our expertise to help bring about changes in policy and law to make lasting improvements in children’s lives.”

What are our plans?

During the next three years EveryChild Georgia plans to continue providing technical assistance to the government to develop and improve primary and secondary legislation and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that the assessment of children referred to state care takes place on the basis of the best interest of a child and the relevant family/community based support and/or care solutions are offered. We will work with the government to train child and family social workers, care and support professionals who undertake the assessments of and provide care for children and facilitate their deinstitutionalisation.
In partnership with the government and other stakeholders we will contribute to developing the innovative family/community based childcare and family support services that will prevent separation of children with their parents, and support their upbringing in families or family type environment.
EveryChild Georgia has already taken steps to involve children in decision-making about our programme and projects. We will further build this practice into our planning, monitoring and management system and will promote child participation, where appropriate, as the best practice among our government and non-governmental partners’ programmes and projects.

“Every Child has a right to fully and harmoniously develop his or her personality in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.”