The number of children in Romania left in the care of relatives or in the special protection system, due to parents going to work abroad, decreased significantly in the last year, by 17%, according to public data analyzed by ParentED in a statement sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

This decrease of almost 17% indicates a gratifying trend, but although more and more parents return or assume the role of financial support without leaving the country, thousands of children continue to live far from those who provide them with the most important emotional base – the family, reveals ParentED.

According to the official data of the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA), in March 2024, 61,007 children from over 50,000 families were in this situation, a decrease compared to the same period last year, when 72,902 cases were registered from almost 57,000 families.

An alarming aspect is the fact that some of these children end up in the special protection system such as foster care or placement centers, facing additional challenges related to adapting to new environments and the lack of constant contact with their parents.

„The emotional and psychological impact that these children feel can be profound and long-lasting, especially in the context where their emotional and social development depends directly on the presence of a stable parental figure,” Diana Balan, representative of ParentED, quoted in the said release, said.

AGERPRES