Decision No. 34/2014/QĐ-TTg on Standards for Communes, Towns, and Urban Areas Suitable for Children

Pursuant to …;

Article 24||| stipulates standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children

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Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Protection, Care, and Education of Children dated June 15, 2004;

At the proposal of the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs,

||| The Prime Minister issues a Decision to stipulate Standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

||| 1. This Decision stipulates standards, conditions for recognition, procedures, processes, evaluation, and recognition of communes, wards, towns suitable for children.

||| 2. This Decision applies to all communes, wards, towns throughout the country.

||| Article 2. Standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children

||| 1. Standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children are evaluated through the following 15 criteria:

||| a) Criterion 1: The level of leadership and management by the Party Committee and local authorities in the work of protecting, caring for, and educating children;

||| b) Criterion 2: The rate of children registered for birth according to regulations;

||| c) Criterion 3: The rate of children working under harsh, toxic, dangerous conditions, begging on the streets, or working away from home;

||| d) Criterion 4: The rate of children subjected to abuse, violence, trafficking, kidnapping;

||| đ) Criterion 5: The rate of children with social problems (violating laws, drug addiction);

||| e) Criterion 6: The rate of children injured in accidents;

||| g) Criterion 7: The rate of children in special circumstances receiving assistance and care;

||| h) Criterion 8: The rate of infants under one year old fully vaccinated with vaccines included in the expanded immunization program during the assessment year;

||| i) Criterion 9: The rate of children under five years old suffering from malnutrition (weight/age);

||| k) Criterion 10: The rate of children undergoing general health check-ups at least once a year;

||| l) Criterion 11: The rate of children attending kindergarten classes;

||| m) Criterion 12: The rate of children graduating from junior high school or equivalent;

||| n) Criterion 13: The rate of children participating in child forums and discussions on issues related to the implementation of children's rights (referred to as the rate of children exercising their participation rights);

||| o) Criterion 14: Play areas and cultural activities organized for children;

||| p) Criterion 15: Implementation of models for protecting and caring for children.

||| 2. Definitions, calculation methods, and scoring scales for each criterion are specified in the Appendix attached to this Decision.

||| Article 3. Conditions for Recognizing Communes, Wards, Towns Meeting the Standards for Communes, Wards, Towns Suitable for Children

||| A commune, ward, town will be recognized as meeting the standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children if it achieves the points stipulated below (the maximum score is 1,000 points):

||| 1. Wards within districts of centrally-administered cities: If they achieve 850 points or more, they will be recognized as meeting the standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children.

||| 2. Communes and towns within districts of centrally-administered cities; communes and wards within provincial cities; communes and wards within provincial towns; towns within plains, midland districts of provinces; communes and wards within towns and cities of mountainous regions: If they achieve 750 points or more, they will be recognized as meeting the standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children.

||| 3. Communes and towns in mountainous and island areas; particularly difficult communes as defined by the Prime Minister: If they achieve 650 points or more, they will be recognized as meeting the standards for communes, wards, towns suitable for children.

Article 4. Evaluation of Communes, Towns, and Urban Villages Meeting Child-Friendly Standards

1. The evaluation of communes, towns, and urban villages meeting child-friendly standards shall be conducted once a year in November each year. The evaluation period for one year runs from November 1 of the previous year to October 31 of the following year. The evaluation of communes, towns, and urban villages meeting child-friendly standards must ensure democracy, fairness, and transparency.

2. The evaluation of communes, towns, and urban villages meeting child-friendly standards shall be carried out by the Evaluation Council established under Clause 3 of this Article.

3. The People's Committee of communes, towns, and urban villages (hereinafter referred to as the People's Committee at the commune level) shall establish the Evaluation Council based on this Decision. The members of the Evaluation Council include: The Chairman of the Council is the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level. The Standing Member of the Evaluation Council is a civil servant of Culture-Society or a person responsible for child protection and care work. Other members include: Chief of Public Security; Civil Servant of Justice-Household Registration; Head of Health Station; Principal of Junior High School; Principal of Elementary School; Principal of Kindergarten; Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; Chairman of the Vietnam Women's Union; representatives of residential wards, villages, hamlets, and precincts. In addition to the aforementioned members, the Chairman of the Evaluation Council may supplement other members representing other organizations and mass associations according to actual circumstances.

4. The meeting records of the Evaluation Council must be documented in minutes. The Chairman of the Evaluation Council shall base his final conclusion on the evaluation minutes and opinions of the members regarding whether the commune, town, or urban village meets the child-friendly standards.

5. The Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level shall approve and sign the dossier submitted to the People's Committee at the district level for review and issuance of a decision recognizing the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards before November 15 each year.

The dossier includes: A letter requesting the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level to recognize the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards; minutes of the Evaluation Council meeting on evaluating the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards; a report on the implementation of the child-friendly standards for communes, towns, and urban villages.

Article 5. Review and Recognition of Communes, Towns, and Urban Villages Meeting Child-Friendly Standards

1. The People's Committee at the district level shall establish a Review Council to examine and recognize communes, towns, and urban villages meeting child-friendly standards. The members of the Review Council include: The Chairman of the Council is the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level; the Standing Member is the Director of the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Department; other members include representatives from sectors and mass associations: Education and Training; Culture and Information; Health; Public Security; Justice; Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; Vietnam Women's Union.

2. The Review Council is tasked with reviewing reports and assessing the implementation of criteria as stipulated in Article 2 of this Decision and determining the points achieved for each criterion.

The meeting of the Review Council must be recorded in minutes and have a conclusion by the Chairman of the Council clearly stating whether the commune, town, or urban village meets the child-friendly standards.

If the commune, town, or urban village achieves the required points according to the child-friendly standards, the Review Council shall prepare a proposal requesting the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level to issue a decision recognizing the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards. The recognition process must be completed before November 30 each year.

3. The dossier for recognizing communes, towns, and urban villages meeting child-friendly standards includes:

a) A proposal from the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Department to the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level to establish the Review Council.

b) An assessment report from the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Department on the achievement of criteria and points as stipulated in Article 2 of this Decision.

c) Minutes of the Review Council meeting on recognizing the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards.

d) A proposal from the Review Council to the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level to issue a decision recognizing the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards.

đ) A decision by the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level recognizing the commune, town, or urban village as meeting the child-friendly standards, accompanied by a certificate of recognition (the model of which is issued by the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs).

Article 6. Reporting System

1. Before November 30 each year, the People's Committee at the district level shall complete the review dossier and submit the results to the People's Committee at the provincial level (hereinafter referred to as the People's Committee at the provincial level).

2. Before December 10 each year, the People's Committee at the provincial level shall prepare a report on the implementation of this Decision in the year and submit it to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs for compilation and reporting to the Prime Minister.

Article 7. Awards

1. Communes, towns, and urban villages recognized as meeting the child-friendly standards under this Decision for three consecutive years shall be considered for commendation by the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level.

2. Communes, towns, and urban villages recognized as meeting the child-friendly standards under this Decision for five consecutive years shall be considered for commendation by the Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level.

The level of commendation shall be decided by the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district or provincial level in accordance with the Law on Competition and Reward.

Article 8. Responsibilities of agencies and organizations

1. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies and organizations to guide the implementation of this Decision: developing and guiding the collection and evaluation of criteria; detailing procedures and processes for recognizing communes, wards, and towns that meet the standards suitable for children; annually inspecting, evaluating, and summarizing the implementation of this Regulation to report to the Prime Minister.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to study and guide the inclusion of indicators regarding the ratio of "communes, wards, and towns meeting the standards suitable for children" into national and provincial socio-economic development strategies and plans.

3. The Ministries of Health, Public Security, Justice, Education and Training, Culture, Sports and Tourism shall guide the collection and evaluation of criteria related to their sectors; take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to develop and direct the implementation of prioritized planning and encouragement of resource allocation and mobilization to achieve commune, ward, and town standards suitable for children in localities within their functions, tasks, and authorities.

4. It is requested that the Vietnam Fatherland Front, member organizations, and social organizations participate in mobilizing resources to implement this Decision within their functions and tasks.

5. Provincial People's Committees shall support and invest funds for communes, wards, and towns, especially those in highland and particularly difficult areas, to organize and implement this Decision.

Article 9. Effective Date

1. This Decision takes effect from July 15, 2014.

2. Decision No. 37/2010/QĐ-TTg dated April 22, 2010 of the Government Chairman on issuing the Standards for Communes and Wards Suitable for Children ceases to be effective from the date this Decision takes effect.

Article 10. Responsibility for Implementation

The Minister, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Chairmen of Provincial People's Committees under the Central Government, and related agencies and organizations are responsible for implementing this Decision./.