Experience in long-term non-acute care of children in the Strančice Institution

Summary

The system of care of the child in the Czech Republic is a process based on legislation, which defines the health care of the physiologically developing child in a biological family as well as the care of a child with the health or social handicap. In the last years, international authorities exert considerable pressure on the state so that the legislation concerning the child corresponds to comply with respected international agreements. The Czech Republic is obliged to solve the problem of institutional care of endangered children which has been cumulating over many years. For instance, the society is still reluctant to accept the possibility of integrating the child with mental defect. In solving the needs of the children with health defects, the view of health care is often the only aspect considered. Most affected children are therefore placed in medical institutions, since the parents are unable or not willing to take the care of these children. The presently declared transformation of institutional care should therefore prefer the care in substitutive families. The placement of children in institutions should be in exceptional cases only.

Key words:
transformation of institutional care, long-term non-acute care of heavily handicapped children, multi-sourced financing, substitutive family care