They take care of the children, the state throws sticks at their feet - Novinky.cz<

They take care of the children, the state throws sticks at their feet

We are talking about foster parents who have recently fallen into the category of so-called unmediated foster parents, which means that the child they are to take care of has not been chosen by the relevant region, but they have found their way to it themselves.

And, like ordinary foster parents, the court gave them a child. So they meet all the requirements, but the state looks at them through the fingers.

These include, for example, foster parents who used to find "their" children in the kangaroo where they worked as aunts.

"I have taken care of the children I have cared for in the kangaroo since they were one and four years old. When they were threatened with going to the orphanage, my husband and I said we would create a safe place for them at home. They both experienced terrible things in the original family, "Martina Průšová, who worked in the Ústí nad Labem kangaroo, confided in Práva.

"One child is twelve years old, but he is seven years old. He can't unlock the door, I can't leave him alone at home. I go to the doctors with them every week. And now I am in a situation where I should start looking for a job, "she said.

In January, an amendment on the social legal protection of children came into force, which added money to most long-term foster parents, or tied them to the minimum wage. It has been counting 16,200 crowns gross since January, and the foster parent receives the same for one child. But this only applies to those to whom the region has given children.

Foster parents, such as Martina Průšová, have fallen into the category of "unmediated foster parents" since the New Year, and their contribution from the state has been shortened: in December they received 12,000 gross per child, they now receive 8,878 crowns net. And that means a drop in the family budget by about two thousand a month.

In addition, these foster parents will no longer be credited for retirement and health and social insurance will not be deducted from this amount. The health care provider, which is mandatory and amounts to 2,187 crowns this year, must therefore pay for themselves. "Without my husband's income, I would hardly come out. I take it as a trip from the state, "lamented Průšová.

She and another two thousand foster carers who are in a similar situation had to - as well as other approved foster parents - have the child placed in the care of the court, and they also undergo regular inspections by the Department of Social Protection of Children. They must also complete 24-hour training a year.

"They told me at the social worker that I was not checked. I argued that I was tested enough, because I got used to both children in a kangaroo for four years. The social worker lustrated me anyway, she found out, for example, if I was not a debtor, "said Průšová.

"At the same time, we are the worst off in the Ústí nad Labem region. There are a lot of children and very few foster parents, "she added.

Andrea Novotná, who also took care of the four children entrusted to her care in a similar facility, has a similar experience.

"I met the children in a kangaroo and asked to be entrusted when they were to go to the orphanage. They are sick, the smallest has cerebral palsy, the other has mental retardation, attention deficit and behavioral disorders. I go to psychiatry with him, with others after doctors, I'm in one round for 24 hours, "Novotná told Práva.

"It simply came to my notice then. I completed training and psychotests in the kangaroo. If I didn't know the girls from work, I wouldn't even think of taking them into care, "she said. "I will have less money now and I have to pay levies. It is illogical, "added Novotná, who took the whole sibling group from the facility.

And they are often difficult to place in alternative family care. Like older children, who were cared for only weekend visits. Even they often fall into the category of non-mediated, as do other "close persons", such as family acquaintances or neighbors.

Will the new government help?

Alternative family care organizations are now demanding a legislative change. The chairwoman of the Alliance of Surrogate Families of the Czech Republic, Bohumila Krejčíková, considers this to be an injustice.

"Unrelated non-mediated foster parents usually underwent the same assessment and training as mediated foster parents, they were approved by the regional authorities and included in the register of foster parents. Only the child was not assigned to them by the regional office, but they occurred through a direct court proposal, "Krejčíková told Práva.

"Children who have been accepted in this way by non-mediated foster parents are in most cases Roma or disabled. These are children who are simply said to be out of place. And will these approved trained foster parents now be punished for this help? ”She said. The alliance is now lobbying MPs to ensure that these foster parents have the same conditions as others.

KDU-ČSL MP Jiří Navrátil, who together with several other deputies is preparing an amendment to the Act on the Social Protection of Children, promises a change. "We intend to address this at a meeting of the House Social Committee. We want to give these non-mediated foster parents the status of mediated ones, "said Navrátil.

The new cabinet of Petr Fiala (ODS) also wants to enforce changes for the better in foster care. According to the program statement, he intends to set up, for example, a central register of foster parents, which foster organizations have been calling for for a long time.

It also wants to encourage regions to "transform services for vulnerable children, strengthen the capacity of social activation services for families and improve the system of selection and training of foster parents". And last but not least, it also wants to merge the care of endangered children under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which the former government of Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD) also tried unsuccessfully.