Cross-border partnership for children: 177 specialists of Moldova, Romania join professional network

A cross-border professional network comprising 177 specialists from Moldova and Romania will facilitate the exchange of experience, best practices and solutions in the field of child protection. The network was created as part of a project titled, Strengthening the Cross-Border Partnership for the Transition to Community- and Family-Based Care, funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania–Moldova Programme 2021–2027.

At the project’s closing event, the discussions focused on the results achieved, lessons learned and the next steps in reforming services for children at risk of separation from their families, those growing up in residential care and those undergoing family reintegration.





Vasile Cusca, State Secretary at the Labour and Social Protection Ministry, said that the project represented a success of cross-border cooperation and an example of effective collaboration between institutions and civil society organizations.

“By strengthening the capacities of child protection specialists and through the information campaign featuring impactful messages, the project contributed to promoting the transition from institutional care to family- and community-based care. The results achieved provide an important foundation for continuing the reform and developing services that respond to the needs of children and families,” the official stressed.







The opinions expressed during the discussion panel focused on the conclusion that developing child- and family-centered services requires ongoing cooperation between authorities, specialists and organizations on both sides of the Prut River. The exchange of experience and cross-border cooperation stay essential for continuing the deinstitutionalization process and creating services that enable every child to grow up in a safe and protective family environment.





Liliana Rotaru, President of CCF Moldova (Child, Community, Family Moldova), highlighted the importance of cooperation between professionals and institutions, in order to ensure that child protection system reform brings about real changes in children’s lives.

“In the spirit of an old proverb that tells us that a community is needed to raise a child, we convey a simple but firm message: every child has the right to grow up in a safe and loving family, and the authorities have an obligation to ensure that this right is upheld. For this to be possible, we need quality services, well-trained professionals and constant cooperation between institutions. The network created with this project is an important outcome, precisely because it enables specialists from Moldova and Romania to stay connected, share experiences and find solutions together for the children and families they work with,” said Liliana Rotaru.







Corina Mighiu, Programme Coordinator at Save the Children Iasi, noted that changing the child protection system involved more than modifying institutional mechanisms.

“The transition from residential care to family- and community-based services is not merely an institutional reform, but a profound commitment to the future of every child. Through the cross-border partnership developed within the project funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania–Moldova Programme 2021–2027, we brought professionals from Romania and Moldova together, providing them with best practices, lessons learned and the practical support they need every day to implement child protection reforms. The fact that, at the end of the project, a network of 177 specialists remains in place and continues to communicate and collaborate is one of the most important gains of this partnership,” said Corina Mighiu.

Over a period of 18 months, more than 300 child protection professionals of Moldova and Romania, including specialists from territorial and regional social assistance structures (STAS and ATAS), benefited from training, coaching, mentoring and the exchange of experience. The activities aimed to strengthen the skills needed to support children and families throughout the deinstitutionalization process.





One of the project’s most important outcomes is the cross-border professional network, which currently connects 177 specialists from the two countries. Its members are active in a professional communication group that enables institutions and specialists from Moldova and Romania to continue exchanging experience and cooperating beyond the project’s duration.

The learning and exchange of best practices process was complemented by three study visits—two in Romania and one in the Republic of Moldova. Specialists working directly with families presented concrete examples of how the knowledge and tools acquired during the project had been applied in their work, contributing to the development of services focused on preventing the separation of children from their families and supporting family reintegration.



In parallel, the A Place at the Table awareness campaign conveyed to the general public the message that each child has the right to grow up in a family and in a community that supports him/her. The campaign reached more than 800,000 people and generated over 4.5 million views and radio listens, with the materials watched and heard in Moldova and Romania, as well as in other European countries.

The project, Strengthening the Cross-Border Partnership for the Transition to Community- and Family-Based Care (ROMD00376) was implemented between April 2025 and September 2026 by CCF Moldova and Save the Children Iasi, in partnership with Moldova’s Labour and Social Protection Ministry.

With a total budget of 439,400.85 euros, the project was funded by the European Union and co-financed by the participating countries through the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania–Programme 2021–2027. The activities covered the entire territory of Moldova and the counties of Iasi, Galati, Vaslui and Botosani of Romania.