Family Minister Natalia Intotero told Euronews on Tuesday evening that there are approximately 40,000 children in the social assistance and protection system in Romania, and less than a quarter of them are available for adoption, News.ro reports. .

Last year, 1,377 children were adopted in Romania. The Minister declares the transparency of the Government’s decision, which will strengthen the conditions for foster carers, as cases were found when they took care of children only for money, without taking care of the little ones.

“Currently, we have about 40,000 children in the protection system, approximately 30,000 children in foster families and 10,000 in foster families. According to the recommendations of the European Union, Romania already had a deadline to close all these multi-family houses and stay for 12 or family apartments for 6”, says the minister.

However, the bureaucracy has currently blocked certain counties from meeting this deadline.

“So, although we have approximately 40,000 children in the social assistance and protection system, in 2023 we have 1,377 adopted and adopted children, 7,057 in 2023,” Natalia Intotero told Euronews Romania on Tuesday night.

She noted that the child is recognized as adopted after the final court verdict, showing that there are cases of children whose parents are in prison, but can take their children into the family after serving their sentences.

“I don’t want to hide that the legislation can be improved. From this point of view, we have already started and I think that during tomorrow (Wednesday – no.) or the day after tomorrow at the latest, we will make transparent the decision of the Government, which we are trying to make changes in the way of giving a child to a foster carer. Unfortunately, we had cases when foster carers took these children only for the sake of earning and did not take care of them as they should have. (…) The conditions under which the mother’s assistant will accept the child will be strengthened,” the minister added.

In addition to children who cannot be raised in a family, there are more than 60,000 children in Romania who were left at home by their parents who went abroad.