De-institutionalisation is the transition of children from institutional care to community-based structures and families, and the abolition of the practice of long-term institutionalisation with the eventual closure of long-term care institutions. In contrast to our country, in most European countries, de-institutionalisation has already taken place.

According to the European Commission, institutions were originally created to provide care, food and shelter for people with disabilities, mental health problems, elderly, or abandoned and vulnerable children. After the mid-20th century, however, it became apparent that institutions could not provide individual-centred services, nor the support needed for full integration of people into communities. The physical separation from communities and families significantly limits the skills and readiness of those living or growing up in institutions, preventing them from participating in their communities and the wider society. This is why there is a gradual shift from ‘institutional services’ to ‘community-based services’.

• Institutions operate in a way that is not beneficial to children, and which many times violates their rights: they are impersonal, impose a strict routine, there is no space for emotional bonding with the child, nor for the care and attention necessary for a child to thrive.
• More often than not, a child placed in an institution will end up growing up and becoming an adult within it. Unfortunately, children rarely return to their biological family as there is lack of social services to support their reunification.
• Specialists from all fields (doctors, psychologists, social workers, etc.) agree that institutional care can be very abusive to a child. More specifically, institutional care is particularly dangerous to the development of infants 0-3 years old, both physical and mental, as well as cause many health problems later in life.
• Most of the children who were placed in institutional care have at least one of their parents. They were placed in institutional care because of problems in the family, and the absence of prevention and support by the state. It is imperative that services that provide support to the family at a preventive level be established and adequately staffed to prevent a child from entering institutional care.
• Accelerating the process of substantial transformation of the child protection system, starting with the strengthening of all family support services in order to prevent the separation of the child from the biological family.
• The reunion of children with their biological family should take place alongside support to the biological families by trained professionals.
• Promote the institution of foster care in the wider community as a therapeutic tool for the placement of children who have suffered neglect or abuse.

Roots Research Center is a member of the European network Eurochild and was the National Coordinator of the European campaign “Opening up roads for the children of Europe”, aiming at the deinstitutionalization of children living in institutional care in European countries. In 2014 the organisation completed the first mapping of closed child protection institutions and institutions for children with disabilities in Greece, and had carried out a similar survey àlso in 2005. These results revealed the existing needs in the field of alternative care. The 2014 survey was utilized by many public and private iinstitutions for the creation of programs that are charting the process of deinstitutionalisation in our country. You can read more information on the 2014 survey here :

MAPPING-INSTITUTIONAL-CARE-IN-GREECE-2014-FINAL