Romania had over 58,100 children in the special protection system at the end of March this year, and only 4,063 adoptable children were registered in the National Register for Adoptions, according to data from the Labor Ministry.

Of the total 58,149 children registered in the special protection system, over 21,300 (36.72%) were benefiting from special protection measure in residential services, reports local Agerpres. More than 17,200 of them were children in public residential services, and 4,062 were in private residential services.

Almost 36,800 (63.28% of the total) were benefiting from special protection measure in family services. Nearly 19,000 of them were in foster care, over 13,700 were in the care of fourth-degree relatives, and 4,106 children were in the care of other families or individuals.

There were 1,149 public residential facilities in Romania at the end of March this year, and 358 private residential facilities. These units include classic or modulated foster homes, apartments, family homes, and maternity centers.

Over 32,600 people were active at the end of the first quarter within the General Directorates for Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC) in Romania, in the child Protection department. More than 13% of them were DGASPC employees, 37% were professional foster parents, 37.7% were employed in residential services, and 11.4% were working in day care services.

According to data from the National Register for Adoptions, there were 35% more final rulings for adoption approval in 2014, compared to the previous year.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com