Since 2005, CCF Moldova/HHC Great Britain has started the process of development/expansion of child and family protection services absolutely necessary for children, families and the communities, where they live.

To ensure the implementation of the National Strategy and the Action Plan to reform the residential childcare system for 2007-2012 and later for 2014-2020, CCF Moldova became an active partner of the state autorities and managed to create and develop high-quality support services in several regions of the Republic of Moldova.

Below are the best practice models related to the development of social services for children and families in the Republic of Moldova created with the support and technical assistance of CCF Moldova/HHC Great Britain:

1. Social nursery – day care service for children from 4 months to 3 years
This service is designed for young children (4 months – 3 years) who grow up in families with difficulties and are at an increased risk of separation from their family. The social nursery allows children to be cared by educators all day long, while their parents, especially single mothers or fathers, go to work. CCF Moldova in cooperation with Local Public Authorities has achieved to develop 7 nurseries of this kind until now: 3 – in Chisinau municipality, 2 – in Balti municipality and one in Glodeni town. Such a group can be attended by 12 children.
All nurseries are equipped according to the standards and operate as regular kindergartens. Children enjoy early care: walking, changing diapers, feeding, sleeping, playing, etc.

2. Day care service for children with disabilities within the Municipal Center for placement and rehabilitation for young children
This service takes care of children with special needs by providing recovery, rehabilitation and socialization services, and offer to their parents the opportunity to be active community members (to find a job). Thus, the child stays with the parents and family. CCF Moldova focuses on a crucial aspect in the rehabilitation of children, in particular, the intervention of the physiotherapist, who works not only within the day service, but also in the natural environment of the child with special needs. He/she is the one who provides recommendations/advice to parents related to the recovery of children, by making home visits and assisting the parents in the child’s recovery. Other services that have a positive impact on children are art and music therapy – sessions where children can perform different handicrafts (postcards, balls for the Christmas tree, toys) and express their emotions through music. To support the parents of children with special needs, CCF Moldova provides individual counseling services and information about social benefits in order to ensure access to social services.

3. Community reading and play centers in Orhei (located in 4 villages of the district)
This service meets the educational needs of the preschool children group. This center was developed due the lack of preschool institutions in these 4 villages. CCF Moldova contributed to equipping these centers with all the required materials, trained 4 local coordinators, published 4 quarterly newspapers to inform parents about children’s growth and education. This project contributed also to exchange of practical experience between these 4 community centers.

4. CeCeFel Reading and Play Center for Young Children in Chisinau municipality 
It was developed to help young children from socially vulnerable families, enhance their development through games and social interactions and to improve parenting skills. In this respect, parents got informational support in different fields (psychological, pedagogical, medical and speech therapy). Young mothers also received psychological support for overcoming postnatal depression. Nowadays, this service is sustainable and continue to activate as it is fully managed  by the state structures. 

5. Afterschool – School club for children in difficulty in Cantemir, Leova, Donduseni, Edinet and Cimislia
The service was developed at the community level in order to provide children with the opportunity to participate in the daily life of the community, in school, to make new friends and be supported by teachers, specialists and classmates, to recover any school gaps. This service was of great help to the families of these children, who gradually regained their parenting skills.

6. Mobile Technical Team Social Service in Cantemir, Leova, Cimislia, Edinet, Donduseni, Hancesti, Drochia
It provides technical assistance in all actions related to preventing institutionalization, developing community-based support programs and amending the district decision-makers’ action plans on how children and their families can be helped. It helps and consults the district decision-makers to refocus the funds for the deinstitutionalization process and to support new services, to identify and plan new funds for the development of community services.

7. Foster Families 
CCF Moldova contributed to the training and creation of 332 foster families in different regions of Moldova. In all these regions, those services were developed in cooperation with the Local Authorities, which engaged to further support and control them in future.

8. Family-type Home
CCF Moldova contributed to the training and development of 17 family-type Home in different regions of Moldova (Calarasi, Cantemir, Criuleni, Ialoveni, Cimislia, Edinet). In all these regions, those services were developed in cooperation with the Local Authorities, which engaged to further support and control them in future.

9. Early Intervention Center in Balti municipality
The first social and healthcare service that was developed by CCF/HHC Moldova in Balti municipality is designed for children below the age of 3 from the north of the country. This service  focuses on early detection of any disabilities, appropriate assistance to each child with developmental impairments, including disabilities, or the risk of their occurrence, providing support to the child’s family and his/her educational and social inclusion.The identification and recovery of problems related to disability shall be started at the earliest possible age of the child, from the first months of life. As the results obtained with these children depend, to a great extent, on the moment of detection of the problems A multidisciplinary team made up of pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, psychologist, speech therapist, physiotherapist, nurse and social worker will direct all their efforts and knowledge to help parents keep children with special needs in the family and to provide practical help to children with special needs.