CRC/C/ALB/CO/2-4 (c) Provide clear legal definition of the concept of “evident lack of interest” contained in article 250 of the Family Code; (d) Define procedures to be followed by the Albanian Adoption Committee and clarify the sharing of responsibilities between that Committee and the institutions regarding, notably, declarations of abandonment; and (e) Ensure that judges take decisions relating to adoption procedures within a reasonable time and can be held accountable for the failure to fulfil their responsibilities with due diligence. G. Disability, basic health and welfare (arts. 6, 18 (para. 3), 23, 24, 26, 27 (paras. 1–3) of the Convention) Children with disabilities 58. The Committee is concerned about the situation of children with disabilities in the State party, most of them being totally excluded from mainstream society, kept isolated in their homes and living in situations of poverty at high risk of being ill-treated. The Committee notes with particular concern the poor implementation of the National Strategy on Disabled People and the absence of effective measures and strategies for children with disabilities to enjoy de facto their rights. The Committee is also concerned that: (a) Early identification and early intervention services are lacking, a situation which has detrimental impact on the lives of children with disabilities and undermines their chances of inclusion in the society; (b) Only children with the most serious disabilities receive financial support while children with mental, hearing and speech disabilities receive no support at all and that families having several children with disabilities receive financial support for only one of their children; and (c) Most children with disabilities are deprived of their right to education. 59. In the light of its general comment No. 9 (CRC/C/GC/9, 2006), the Committee recommends that the State party address as a matter of priority the situation of extreme marginalization of children with disabilities in the State party. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Undertake long-term awareness-raising programmes in order to change and combat negative societal attitudes prevailing against children with disabilities; (b) Set up mechanisms for early detection and multidisciplinary intervention services for children with disabilities and their families and take all the necessary measures to increase their access to preschool education; (c) Ensure that all children with disabilities, including children with mental, hearing and speech disabilities receive proper financial support and care from the State and that support to families is no longer restricted to one child per family; (d) Develop a comprehensive national strategy on disability, promoting the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all children with disabilities, with special focus on time-bound measures to ensure that children with disabilities access mainstream education; and (e) Consider ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 14

Select target paragraph3