In this opinion piece for Euractiv, Jana Hainsworth, Secretary General of Eurochild, argues the need to move away from residential care in Europe and toward family-based care and family strengthening models. Hainsworth explains that most children are placed into institutions because of reasons related to poverty and that tackling child poverty "goes hand-in-hand with ending institutional care for children."
"Such unnecessary institutionalisation of children, especially damaging at an early age, can be prevented if the right support services are in place in their communities," says Hainsworth. She also highlights the reliance on institutionalisation as a form of care for children with disabilities, a practice she says "reflects the on-going discrimination against persons with disabilities."
"Institutionalisation is not only a human rights issue, it is also a question of economic and social policies and is relevant across all countries in Europe without exception," writes Hainsworth. "Institutional care is expensive, ineffective and holds back the development of services to support vulnerable families and to prevent their breakdown in the first place."