Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
56-838/15-2
14/10/2015
Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro
To the Head of Delegation, Mr. Mitja Drobnic
and UNICEF Representative, Mr. Benjamin Perks
With regard to your letter of 2nd October 2015 on the technical discussion of ongoing
activities in child care system reform you have stated, among other things, that the EU and
UNICEF have noticed numerous activities in the child protection sector, which need further
attention. You indicated that it is necessary to accept your suggestions for certain issues for
which you had critical view.
We agree with your opinion that it is necessary to conduct a Revision of the Plan of
Transformation of the Children’s Home “Mladost” in part that relates to service of
"emergency reception unit for children up to 3 years old" and that it needs to be erased, which
will be done as soon as possible.
As regards your view on providing adequate standards of care and protection of children with
disabilities who attend daily care, under authority of local governments, we emphasize that
according to the Law on Social and Child Protection as well as according to the Bylaws, there
is a distinguished line between children with disability and adults with disability and that in
that regard certain norms and standards for these categories have been set, to which providers
of services of social and child care should abide. Each provision of service, which is contrary
to stated rules is subject to the Control of the competent authorities.
In regard to your question to quality and full harmonization of secondary legislation
accompanying the Law on Social and Child Protection with respective international
standards, we emphasize that passed bylaws will be tested in practice, which will eventually
influence their amendments. In addition, when it comes to the expansion of services of social
and child protection provided by private service providers, in the following period we will try
to enable them to provide these services in great numbers. In this way citizens will have a
wide offer of services and choice of service providers.
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is thankful for all the suggestions provided by the EU
and UNICEF which refer to the protection of rights of vulnerable categories of citizens, as
well as for the continued and successful support, over a long period of time.
Respectfully,
Minister
Zorica Kovacevic