ZOCG: Adopting the National Guarantee for Children would significantly contribute to the quality of childcare in Montenegro

The adoption of the National Guarantee for Children would significantly contribute to improving the quality of child care in Montenegro, especially for those belonging to vulnerable categories, is the conclusion of an expert analysis of the legal framework for children and youth without parental care, conducted for the needs of the Union of Municipalities (ZOCG).

As stated by the ZOCG, although Montenegro has already begun the process of harmonization with the European Child Guarantee by taking steps towards developing a national action plan, it would be justified and strategically useful to first adopt the National Guarantee as an umbrella document that would express the state's long-term commitment and establish the right of every child to equal access to services.

This, according to the ZOCG, would create a clear basis for further operationalization through an action plan and budget planning.

Secretary General of the ZOCG, Mišela Manojlović, said that the National Guarantee should contain comprehensive measures aimed at preventing child poverty and social exclusion, which would ensure that no child in Montenegro is excluded from the right to education, health, home and security.

She said that the Guarantee should encompass five key dimensions of protection, including free and quality early and preschool education and upbringing, and quality primary and secondary education that includes an inclusive environment and learning support.

"The guarantee should include free and quality health services with a special emphasis on preventive and psychosocial services, healthy and nutritionally adequate nutrition, and safe and adequate housing, including supported housing for children without parental care and young people leaving alternative forms of care," explained Manojlović.

The ZOCG said that the special focus of the National Guarantee would be on children without parental care, young people leaving the institutional or alternative care system, as well as children from multiple marginalized groups - such as Roma and Egyptians, children with disabilities, and children living in extreme poverty.

"The guarantee should provide for specific support mechanisms that encompass transition programs towards independence, including supported housing, access to education and the labor market, counseling and mental health services, as well as individualized transition and monitoring plans," the ZOCG stated.

According to them, the development and implementation of the National Guarantee for Children requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that includes active and mutually coordinated action by key line ministries, local governments and professional services in the field, civil society representatives, with technical and strategic support from international partners.

Special emphasis, according to the ZOCG, should be placed on consultations with children and young people who are in the system or have left it.

The ZOCG said that the adoption of the National Strategy for Children would correspond with Montenegro's strategic commitment towards full membership in the European Union, as well as the obligations arising from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"This would also be a significant step forward in fulfilling the recommendations of numerous international and national bodies that monitor the implementation of children's rights," the statement said.