The “Stronger Civil Society, Safer Childhoods: Supporting Moldova’s Child Care Transformation” project aims to assist children who are at risk of family separation, children who have been separated from their families, and those placed in residential care. This will be accomplished through joint efforts within civil society, with a focus on ensuring that every child has a family environment. It will help prevent child abuse and neglect and increase access for at-risk children and their families to high-quality and sustainable child protection services. The project’s activities will positively impact the entire child protection system in the Republic of Moldova by providing nationwide standardized training and on-the-job mentoring for child protection professionals and mayors of the involved localities. With an integrated sub-granting programme, various civil society organizations will develop and expand community-based, family-centered child protection services. The project will also help raise public awareness to prevent situations where children may be separated from their families, educate individuals on recognizing signs of abuse, neglect, and violence, and motivate them to seek assistance for the welfare of children.

The overall objective of the project is to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage as development agents in strengthening the child protection system in Moldova. To achieve the project’s outcomes, the following specific objectives have been set out:
1. To consolidate the capacity of the child protection system to effectively implement prevention measures for child separation, abuse, abandonment and institutionalization.
2. To increase the access of children at risk and their families to quality, sustainable, family-centred and community-based protection services.

By its completion, the “Stronger Civil Society, Safer Childhoods: Supporting Moldova’s Child Care Transformation” project aims to achieve the following results:
1. 500 at-risk children (including 100 children with disabilities/SEN) with improved access to community/family-based services.
2. Nationwide prevention-focused programme developed and issued for use.
3. Up to 1480 specialists trained, mentored and equipped with advanced knowledge to prevent child protection risks – abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
4. Community-based services addressing children’s needs developed and expanded by civil society organizations.
5. National campaign to promote awareness on the prevention of child abuse and change of attitudes developed and conducted.