CRC/C/ROM/CO/4 page 12 abroad and the special needs of such children, some having endured abuse and neglect, including at the hands of parents or relatives. In this regard, the Committee takes note of bilateral agreements between Romania and destination countries regarding the return of unaccompanied Romanian children abroad. It remains concerned that the return and re-integration of such children may in some cases lead to re-victimization. 50. The Committee recommends that the State party organizes nation-wide campaigns to inform potential migrants of the child protection measures available and improve measures for the identification and support of children left behind by migrating parents. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure, including through the signing of bilateral agreements containing appropriate safeguards, that decisions for return and reintegration of unaccompanied Romanian minors are carried out with the primary consideration of the best interests of the child and taking into account the Committee’s views contained in its general comment No. 6 (2005) on treatment of unaccompanied and separated children outside their country of origin. Children deprived of a family environment 51. The Committee welcomes the decision taken to close down institutions and replace them with family-type homes, and that between 2000 and 2007 the number of children in child protection institutions has more than halved, while foster carers have been selected and trained, and the number of children in foster care has almost tripled. The Committee is, however, concerned that: (a) There is no harmonized set of standards to guide the decision on placing a child in out-of-family care, as well as its follow up and review; (b) There is no unified protocol to guide the planning and monitoring of the intervention, including the assessment of the child’s individual needs; (c) There is no monitoring and evaluation of the quality and care provided, nor a mechanism through which children and their families can submit complaints; (d) Law No. 272/2004, while forbidding the placement of children under the age of 2 in residential care, allows for such placement exceptionally in the case of children with severe disabilities, thereby discriminating against children with disabilities and opening the way for discriminatory practices against children who are otherwise placed in residential care; (e) Due to the closing of the former institutions and the lack of a sufficient number of foster carers, abandoned newborns often spend many months in hospital wards; (f) The over-representation of Roma children in the care system is not accompanied with special culturally sensitive programmes for children, family support, and reintegration efforts. 52. The Committee recommends that the State party, continue to promote foster care as a form of alternative care and, taking into account the Committee’s recommendations issued at the day of general discussion on children without parental care, held on 16 September 2005, take steps to ensure the protection of children’s rights in alternative care, inter alia, by:

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