CRC/C/ARM/CO/3-4 placement only as a last resort in accordance with United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children adopted on 20 November 2009. Children deprived of a family environment 31. The Committee welcomes the decision by the Government which clarifies the criteria for admission to care institutions. However, the Committee remains concerned that: (a) Alternative family-and community-based care systems for children deprived of family environment are insufficient. There are only few foster families. (b) Increasing numbers of children are being placed in institutional care, particularly those from families in vulnerable situations with at least one parent alive, (c) Despite the criteria established, there are no safeguards and procedures for ensuring that institutional care is genuinely used as a measure of last resort; (d) The assistance to children who leave care institutions remains insufficient. 32. Recalling the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children annexed to United Nations General Assembly resolution 64/142 of 20 December 2009, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Ensure sufficient alternative family and community-based care options for children deprived of family environment; (b) Increase support to families in vulnerable situations with universal and targeted services by strengthening their parenting skills, and including them in social assistance programmes; (c) Ensure that placement in institutional care is used only as a last resort and that adequate safeguards and clear needs-based and best interests of the child criteria are used for determining whether a child should be placed in institutional care; (d) Provide maximum support to the children who leave care institutions in finding study and/or work opportunities and provide them with adequate accommodation. Adoption 33. The Committee welcomes the enactment of the Adoption Act of 2010 and ratification of the Hague Convention No 33 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. However, it is concerned about the shortcomings in their implementation. The Committee is particularly concerned that: (a) Monitoring and review of the adoption process are not centralized and are carried out at regional (marz) level by the Family, Women and Child Protection units, while the decisions are taken by local courts; (b) Criteria for selection of adoptive parents are too formal and are based on material conditions of potential parents and not on the parenting skills; (c) The respect for privacy of parties involved in the adoption process is used to justify restrictions on monitoring the adoption process. 34. The Committee recommends that the State party establish effective mechanisms to implement the Hague Convention No. 33 and the Adoption Act of 2010, in particular: (a) Create a centralized system for review of the adoption process; 7