Decision No. 65/2005/QĐ-TTg on approving the project "Caring for Orphan Children without Guardianship, Abandoned Children, Severely Disabled Children, Victims of Chemical Warfare Agents, and Children Infected with HIV/AIDS based on Community from 2005 to 2010"

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the project "Caring for Orphaned Children Without Guardianship, Abandoned Children, Severely Disabled Children, Victims of Chemical Warfare, and Children Infected with HIV/AIDS Based on Community Support from 2005 to 2010" children

who are abandoned, severely disabled, victims of chemical warfare, and infected with HIV/AIDS based on community support from 2005 to 2010

On the basis of the Law on Protection, Care, and Education of Children dated June 15, 2004;

PRIME MINISTER

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

On the basis of Decision No. 23/2001/QĐ-TTg dated February 26, 2001 of the Government on the approval of the National Action Program for Children in Vietnam from 2001 to 2010;

Approving the project "Caring for Orphaned Children Without Guardianship, Abandoned Children, Severely Disabled Children, Victims of Chemical Warfare, and Children Infected with HIV/AIDS Based on Community Support from 2005 to 2010" (hereinafter referred to as the Project "Caring for Children in Particularly Difficult Circumstances Based on Community Support from 2005 to 2010") with the following main contents:

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

DECISION:

Article 1. 1. Objectives of the project:

To assist all children in particularly difficult circumstances to integrate into the community, stabilize their lives, and have opportunities to exercise their rights as stipulated by law; gradually narrow the gap in living standards between children in particularly difficult circumstances and normal children in their place of residence based on mobilizing social resources and developing various forms of care for children in particularly difficult circumstances based on community support.

a) General Objective:

b) Specific targets by 2010:

- The number of children in particularly difficult circumstances receiving social allowances, substitute care in the community, and medical and educational assistance increases from 30% to 65% (on average, an additional 15,000 children each year).

- The number of severely disabled children undergoing corrective surgery and functional recovery increases from 40% to 70%.

- Pilot transferring 1,000 orphaned children without guardianship and severely disabled children currently cared for at state welfare facilities to community-based care through family or individual adoption, foster care, and adoption, and care at community homes.

- Pilot transitioning the centralized care model at state welfare facilities to small-scale family care models at 10 state welfare facilities.

For new components of the project such as community-based community homes and transitioning the centralized care model at state welfare facilities to small-scale family care models at state welfare facilities, implement pilot programs during 2005-2007; expand successful models during 2008-2010.

2. Target groups and scope of the project:

a) Target groups include:

- Orphaned children without guardianship.

- Abandoned children.

- Severely disabled children.

- Victims of chemical warfare.

- Children infected with HIV/AIDS.

b) Scope of the project:

The project will be implemented nationwide but with appropriate steps tailored to different regions and localities.

3. Tasks of the project:

a) Enhance public awareness and responsibility among people, officials, civil servants, and employees at all levels and sectors regarding caring for children in particularly difficult circumstances based on community support.

b) Continue effectively implementing social allowance policies, medical and educational assistance, combined with community mobilization to support and provide substitute care for children in particularly difficult circumstances.

During the period 2005-2010, on average, an additional 15,000 children in particularly difficult circumstances will receive social and community-based assistance annually through the following methods:

- Providing social allowances and medical and educational assistance to 11,000 children annually.

- Mobilizing the community to provide substitute care for 4,000 children in particularly difficult circumstances annually through family or individual adoption, foster care, and adoption, and care at community homes.

c) Support severely disabled children to undergo corrective surgery and functional recovery.

- Improve mechanisms and policies to encourage corrective surgery and functional recovery for disabled children, especially severely disabled children, at rehabilitation centers, combined with community-based functional recovery according to a coordinated process.

- Mobilize domestic and international sponsors to assist in producing orthopedic devices, surgeries, and functional recovery services for severely disabled children.

d) Support children in particularly difficult circumstances to learn trades and find employment.

- Improve mechanisms and policies to assist children in particularly difficult circumstances to learn trades and find employment within their families and places of residence.

- Develop models to support children in particularly difficult circumstances to learn trades and secure employment; collaborate with businesses and mobilize sponsors to test these models in some localities.

đ) Assist children in particularly difficult circumstances to access cultural services.

- Create conditions for children in particularly difficult circumstances to access cultural services. For disabled children, create special classes, recreational areas, cultural publications, and sports programs.

- Publish cultural publications for visually impaired child readers, produce an animated film, and establish a model school for disabled children.

e) Pilot transferring children in particularly difficult circumstances currently cared for in state welfare facilities to community-based care through family or individual adoption, foster care, and adoption, and care at community homes.

g) Establish a model community home for caring for children in particularly difficult circumstances at the commune level.

A community home is a new model of care for children managed by the People's Committee at the commune level, appointing staff on a part-time basis or using volunteers. For community homes, local budgets will partially fund the care and maintenance of children, while the rest of the funding will be raised from the community. The central budget will support the construction of community homes during the pilot phase.

h) Implement pilot projects to transition the centralized care model for children in particularly difficult circumstances at state welfare facilities to small-scale family care models at state welfare facilities.

h) Implement a pilot program to transition the care method for children with particularly difficult circumstances from centralized care at state social assistance facilities to concentrated care in a "small family model" at state social assistance facilities.

i) Conduct training for officials responsible for caring for children in difficult circumstances, particularly those at the grassroots level, on the content, methods of community-based care for children in difficult circumstances, social work, and social work methods and skills.

4. Solutions:

a) Strengthen the leadership of Party committees at all levels, the guidance of local authorities, and the participation of mass organizations and social organizations in effectively implementing policies for children in difficult circumstances, creating a movement to care for such children, especially in areas with a high number of such cases and among ethnic minority groups.

b) Review and classify target groups, and study amendments and improvements to policies and mechanisms for caring for children in difficult circumstances within communities and at social welfare institutions. Enhance the capacity to collect, process, and provide information and data on children in difficult circumstances to meet the requirements for evaluating the implementation of the project; advise and plan policies for children in difficult circumstances.

c) Promote socialization of child care services for children in difficult circumstances based on the community through mobilizing local resources, integrating with local socio-economic development programs, and encouraging voluntary and humanitarian activities for children. Mobilize organizations, families, and individuals to take over the care of children in difficult circumstances.

d) Strengthen supervision and evaluation by mass organizations and the public regarding the implementation of policies and laws on community-based care for children in difficult circumstances in localities.

đ) Organize inspections and audits of localities in the implementation of policies for children in difficult circumstances and the contents of the project.

e) Study, summarize, and evaluate practical experiences to improve assistance policies for children in difficult circumstances, contributing to enhancing the effectiveness of child protection, care, and education.

g) Promote cooperation with international organizations, including multilateral, bilateral organizations, and non-governmental organizations in the three fields of technology, experience, and finance to assist children in difficult circumstances.

5. Budget: The budget for implementing the project will be allocated in the state budget estimate annually according to the current state budget classification and raised from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Article 2. Implementation

1. Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs take the lead and coordinate with the Population, Family, and Children Committee and relevant ministries and sectors:

- Guide the implementation of the project; direct the implementation of the project's contents within the scope of assigned tasks and powers.

- Direct labor, invalids, and social affairs agencies at all levels to assist the Chairman of the People's Committee at the same level in organizing the implementation of specific tasks in the project; monitor and inspect the implementation of the project.

- Organize periodic reviews, summaries, and report to the Prime Minister on the implementation of the project.

2. The Population, Family, and Children Committee directs the Vietnam Children's Welfare Fund to promote activities aimed at supporting the implementation of the project's objectives, focusing on preventing and stopping children from falling into difficult circumstances.

3. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism takes the lead and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors to guide information agencies at all levels to strengthen information and communication about community-based care for children in difficult circumstances.

4. The Ministry of Education and Training takes the lead and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors to implement integration education programs for disabled children; improve policies and direct schools to waive or reduce tuition fees and construction contributions for children in difficult circumstances.

5. The Ministry of Health takes the lead and coordinates with relevant ministries and sectors to direct healthcare facilities to continue waiving or reducing medical fees for children in difficult circumstances; conduct community-based medical examinations, treatments, and rehabilitation for disabled children.

6. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for allocating funds for relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the project according to the current state budget classification; take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to guide and inspect the use of project funds.

7. The Ministry of Planning and Investment takes the lead and coordinates with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs and related ministries, sectors, and localities to mobilize domestic capital, aid, and other sources of funding for the care of children in difficult circumstances.

8. The Ministry of Justice promotes legal education and publicity on care for children in difficult circumstances; studies and improves family law to facilitate domestic and foreign individuals adopting children in difficult circumstances; prevent exploitation of adoption for profit.

9. Vietnam Television and Voice of Vietnam Radio cooperate with local television, radio stations, and local radio-television stations to develop special programs and topics on community-based care for children in difficult circumstances to broadcast nationally and locally.

10. Other relevant ministries and sectors proactively build and implement plans for community-based care for children in difficult circumstances according to their assigned functions and tasks.

11. Request the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations to actively participate in implementing this project within the scope of their functions and tasks.

12. Provincial People's Committees under the Central Government are responsible:

a) Directing the implementation of the project's contents and solutions in their locality;

b) Establishing care targets for children in difficult circumstances in the socio-economic development plan of the locality;

c) Allocating budget, human resources, and infrastructure to implement the project.

Article 3. The Standard Measurement Quality Control Department shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the implementation of the Regulations adopted herein.

Article 4. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities are responsible for implementing this Decision./.