Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania 12/10/2015 Mapping and Analysis of the Albania CP System A participatory documenting of practices and perceptions Manolo Cabran, Manuel Finelli, Beth Bradford MAESTRAL INTERNATIONAL 1 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania Albania CP System Mapping and Analysis Maestral International, L.L.C. Suite 3250 150 S. 5th Street Minneapolis, MN 55402 U.S.A. Phone: (612) 354-3085 E-mail: [email protected] 11 March 2016 Disclaimer Any views, opinions and recommendations presented in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Government of Albania or the office of UNICEF in Albania or Terre des hommes in Albania & in Kosovo(under the UNSCR 1244). 2 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania Acknowledgements Maestral International wishes to thank all the partners who made this research possible. Our gratitude goes to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth: Mr Edvin Lame, Advisor to the Minister, Ms Ina Verzivolli, Chair of the State Agency for the Protection of Children’s Rights, and to Mrs Denada Seferi, Director of the Department of Social Service and Integration. Ms Enkelejda Lopari, former advisor to the Minister, also contributed significantly to the research. We are particularly appreciative to all the children, parents, service providers, and the representatives of the national and local government, civil society and development partners who shared their knowledge, expertise and time with us to enrich this mapping and analysis with first hand, heartfelt and quality information. We did not take their contribution for granted; they have been key to providing us with the insights we needed to understand the functioning of the system. A special mention goes to Terre des hommes and its staff for their dedication and professionalism. We are grateful to Jezerca Tigani, Director of Tdh Albania & Kosovo, for having allocated significant personal resources to the research; to Blerta Spahiu, who organised, managed, supervised, and, in part, conducted, the data collection process in a very challenging context; to Arta Vorpsi and Artemida Bardhi, for sharing their expertise on the legal and public finance management aspects of the CP system. None would have been possible without the entire National Research Team: Blerta Mano, Ermelinda Ikonomi, Juni Plaku, Ana Majko, Irida Agolli, Enkeleda Sako, Rezarta Gjialpi, Andi Bregu, Juliana Ajdini, Lediona Asabella, Loreta Hysa and Migena Kapllanaj. Their commitment made it possible to complete all planned meetings. They also supported the Maestral International team in identifying the key findings around which this report is written. Last but not least, we are thankful to UNICEF Albania: Mrs Antonella Scolamiero, Resident Representative, Mrs Vera Gavrilova, Deputy Representative, and Mrs Floriana Hima, CP Officer. The financial support and continuous dialogue and feedback between the office and the Maestral International team ensured the timely research implementation, and when challenges rose, they made all efforts to solve the problems and ensure the achievement of the goal. Their commitment to the children of Albania is clear. Manolo Cabran, Manuel Finelli, Beth Bradford Minneapolis, 11 March 2016 3 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania Table of content Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Executive summary............................................................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 12 Context and rationale .................................................................................................................................. 12 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2 – Mapping and analysis of the CP system ...................................................................................... 17 Legal framework .......................................................................................................................................... 19 Structures of the CP system ........................................................................................................................ 24 Coordination ................................................................................................................................................ 31 Services ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Case management ....................................................................................................................................... 42 Public Finance Management and Public Administration ............................................................................ 46 Monitoring and Evaluation .......................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 3 - Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 53 Determinant of poor functioning: CP system Governance ......................................................................... 55 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................... 59 Annexes ........................................................................................................................................................... 64 Annex 1: Analytical framework ................................................................................................................... 65 Annex 2: Research protocol and methodological tools .............................................................................. 82 Annex 3: List of documents reviewed ......................................................................................................... 98 Annex 4: List of organizations involved in data collection ........................................................................ 107 Annex 5: Regional and municipal sampling ............................................................................................... 111 Annex 6: Analysis of public finance management and public administration in CP ................................. 117 Annex 7: Analysis of legal framework on CP ............................................................................................. 149 Annex 8: Children and parents’ perceptions and experiences of the CP system Children and parents experiences of child protection services ................................................................................................... 187 4 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania List of figures Figure 1: Levels of analysis .............................................................................................................................. 15 Figure 2: Research principles ........................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 3: Sampled regions and municipalities ................................................................................................. 17 Figure 4: Systems approach is reiterative and non-linear ............................................................................... 17 Figure 5: Main child protection actors, with their mandates and tasks.......................................................... 26 Figure 6: Sample of child protection programme and its sub-programmes ................................................... 60 5 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania Acronyms AGFIS Albanian Government Financial Information System BI Budget Institution CM Case Management CMO Council of Ministries Order CoE Council of Europe CP CP CPS CP System CPU CP Unit CPW CP Worker CRU Child Right Unit CSO Civil Society Organisation DCM Decision of the Council of Ministers DDPFFA Department of Development Programming, Financing and Foreign Aid DoSI Department of Social Inclusion ESSP Employment, Skills and Social Policy Sector EU European Union FBO Faith Based Organisation FDG Focus Group Discussions GDP Gross Domestic Product GoA Government of Albania IMS Information Management System IMWG Inter-Ministerial Working Groups INGOs International Non-Governmental Organisation IOM International Organisation for Migrations IPMG Integrated Policy Management Group KII Key Informant Interviews LGU Local Government Unit LM Line Ministry M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDA Ministry, Department and Agency MES Ministry of Education and Sports MoF Ministry of Finance 6 Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment in Albania MoH Ministry of Health MoJ Ministry of Justice MoSWY Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth MTBP Medium Term Budget Programme NCfPCR National Council for the Protection