Executive Summary:
The goal of this document is to provide the overview of existing monitoring system of Child Protection system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will also provide information on the overall Quality Mechanisms in Child Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This document is covering all relevant child protection frameworks. The analysis starts with overview of general data about respondents showing that 54% of the respondents are males and 46 % females. Very significant data about level of education stated that 77% of them have higher educations, and 23% have master degrees. Data about education combined with work experience shows us that respondents are more than competent to share with us their knowledge.
As for the work experience of the respondents, most of them have more than 10 years of experience in the field of Child Protection/Social protection (61%). 31% of the respondents have between 5-10 years of experience and only 8% has been working in the area of child protection for less than 5 years.
This report has identified and documented existing monitoring mechanisms in Child Protection System. It also addresses other Child protection system issues such as Childs best interest determination, gaps in the regulatory framework, gaps in children and their family’s participation including feedback from professionals from social welfare institutions.
Child protection monitoring system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not harmonized across the country and due to the constitutional setup there is no one solely responsible institution for monitoring of this system. Country data collection and monitoring of child protection system is regulated through a very complex system and without adequate coordination among those actors. Monitoring of child protection, according to many different legislative provisions, is responsibility of state level institution, two entities (Republika Srpska and Federation of B-H) and Brcko District, which are main actors in regulating, implementing, monitoring and data collection processes in child protection, and also responsibility of lower levels of governance such as Cantonal ministries. It is safe to say that there is no systematic and coordinated approach in Child protection monitoring in Bosnia and Herzegovina but rather several un-harmonized systems across different levels of governance. With that in mind, the following document will portray the existing framework in order to gain insight into harmonization of all laws with international treaties that Bosnia and Herzegovina signed, standards, indicators and tools and systems of monitoring and evaluation. Information about existing practices will be provided and positive outcomes of interventions that are relevant for the given thematic. The document will try to name all relevant institutions, including role of CSO, media and explain their role in the overall Monitoring system of Child protection. Desk review and the interviews conducted have enabled identification of gaps and deficiencies in the system of monitoring of Child Protection, thus adequate recommendations have been provided in order to improve existing system, which are as follows:
- Harmonize laws and regulations for equitable monitoring of CP System at all levels of governance
- Support in establishment and administering of single database as part of Social welfare system all over Country, which will serve all children and all of their needs, regardless of nature of their need (any judiciary proceeding, parental care, poverty etc.)
- *Establish access to Social welfare database, for other relevant stakeholders in need of CP data with respect to their jurisdictions(statistical institutes, police, judiciary) for their monitoring and other needs
- *Monitoring and data collection conducted by the statistical Institutes within the field of social protection should be updated to reflect the current legal frameworks, including data on children in conflict with the law, child victims/witnesses, children at risk of committing minor or criminal offense, children at risk of abuse or neglect, children living in institutions, children living in foster care, etc. Currently the beneficiaries are categorised in large sub groups which are not sufficiently specific, or linked to relevant legislation or services, as follows:
* Endangered by family situation
* Mentally and physically handicapped
* With behavioural and personality disorders
* Persons with socially unacceptable behaviour
* Mentally ill persons
* Persons in need of different social welfare services
* Without category.
- Establish a coordinating body for data collection and monitoring of CP system in order to harmonize monitoring system as much as possible due to a fact that in the current system there are too many institutions involved and the process is largely un harmonized. One option is to establish this body as part of the existing Council for Children which is operating on state level.
- Conduct trainings on monitoring of CP system for all relevant personal in charged with the data collection and monitoring.
The document has also identified key recommendations for improving overall system of Child Protection, which were clear through conducting of this study and are provided in this document. This report has also identified and documented other existing mechanisms in Child Protection System such as Childs best interest determination, gaps in the regulatory framework, gaps in children and their family’s participation including feedback from professionals from social welfare institutions. Also this report will present findings and the results of the online survey conducted with professionals from relevant institutions and findings from the interviews conducted. A previously mentioned, participants of this assessment provided clear recommendations for improvement which will be listed in this report.
To download national reports on existing quality mechanisms in other countries of the regions, please click below:
Albania
Bulgaria
Croatia
Kosovo
Moldova
Romania
Serbia