CRC/C/ALB/CO/2-4 them with social services appropriate for them. The Committee also urges the State Party to: (a) Amend Decree No. 209 of 12 April 2006 with a view to prohibiting the placement of children into institutions on economic grounds; (b) Further prioritize family-type care settings over institutional placements, by inter alia raising public awareness about the negative impact of institutionalization on a child’s development; (c) Take all the necessary measures to reduce children’s length of stay in institutions by the regular review of placement as required under article 25 of the Convention; (d) Ensure that children are no longer separated from their siblings and that they are cared for in a stable environment that favours the creation and maintenance of positive relationships with adults and children; (e) Abide by its commitment made during the universal periodic review process to extend the age of leaving care from 15 to 18 years and ensure that children leaving institutions are provided with appropriate support; (f) Ensure that alternative care institutions are provided with the necessary human, technical and financial resources for the proper care of children; and (g) Children. Harmonize its legislation with the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Adoption 56. The Committee expresses concern about disrespect of the provisions of the Law No. 9695 on Adoption Procedures and the Albanian Adoption Committee, adopted in March 2007, concerning periodic reporting on the situation of children in institutions. The Committee is particularly concerned by the considerable delays by the institutions in declaring a child abandoned and by the judges in conducting adoption proceedings, as a result of which children are kept for years in orphanages although biological parents have released the child and new parents have been found. The Committee is also concerned that: (a) weight; The views of children who have not attained 10 years are not given due (b) There is no legal obligation in the Family Code to inform and provide counsel to biological parents; (c) The definition of “evident lack of interest on the part of parents” contained in article 250 of the Family Code – which is used to determine the adoptability of a child – remains vaguely defined; and (d) Procedures to be followed by the Albanian Adoption Committee have not yet been established. 57. The Committee urges the State party to review adoption rules and procedures in order to: (a) Ensure that abandoned children under the age of 10 years have the right to be heard in adoption proceedings and that their views are given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity; (b) Clearly establish the right of biological parents to be properly informed and counselled; 13