The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, in partnership with UNICEF, has launched an important initiative to support children and young people who are beginning independent lives after leaving the public institution “Mladost” Children’s Home in Bijela, emphasized Ivana Nedović, the Secretary of the Social Affairs Committee of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, at a session of the Human Rights and Freedoms Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro, which was dedicated to reviewing key strategic documents in the field of social and child protection.
Nedović devoted particular attention to issues related to the sustainability of services at the local level, as well as to the initiative aimed at supporting young people leaving the institutional care system.
As Nedović emphasized, the project included an analysis of the legal framework, accompanied by concrete recommendations for amending existing legislation, with the aim of ensuring systematic, sustainable, and comprehensive support for young people after they leave residential care. In addition, a mentorship programme for independent living was developed, and through the organization of a donor event, part of the funding was secured for the engagement of a psychologist who will provide young people with psychological and emotional support during this sensitive transition period.
“As a particularly significant outcome of this initiative, a serious case of human trafficking and sexual violence involving one of the beneficiaries was prevented, thanks to the intervention of the engaged psychologist, and institutional protection was secured for the victim,” Nedović emphasized.
In the new Law on Social and Child Protection, the Union of Municipalities proposed extending the rights of young people leaving institutional care until the age of 26. The proposal includes supported housing, counselling, mentoring and financial assistance, as well as the development of an individual independent-living plan. It further envisages that support should continue until employment is secured or until the beneficiary reaches the age of 26, at a level equivalent to one-half of the consumer basket, instead of the current limitation of five years.
As Nedović emphasized, local governments have already expressed their readiness to provide housing units as temporary accommodation solutions, as well as to continue offering psychological support to young people after they leave residential care.
Speaking about the draft of the new Law on Social and Child Protection, Nedović warned that municipalities are being assigned new responsibilities without corresponding financial resources, which could jeopardize the availability and quality of services for beneficiaries.
"The working version of the law envisages that municipalities will finance services such as day-care centres, home care, personal assistance, and counselling support. However, municipalities have unanimously stated that they do not have the financial resources or the capacity to assume these responsibilities,” she emphasized.
She recalled that as many as 17 out of Montenegro’s 25 municipalities rely on resources from the Equalization Fund, as they are already unable to fully finance even their own statutory responsibilities.
“Decentralization must be accompanied by fiscal decentralization. It is unreasonable to transfer responsibilities from the national to the local level while at the same time putting beneficiaries at risk of losing access to essential services,” Nedović added.
The Union of Municipalities called for a comprehensive assessment of service needs and costs to be conducted before the law is adopted, for consultations to be held with the municipalities responsible for its implementation, and for a fiscal impact analysis to be carried out to evaluate the law’s effects on local government budgets.
“We are ready for a constructive partnership and dialogue with the Ministry, but we expect the law to clearly define funding sources and to comply with the legislation governing the budget and fiscal responsibility, state administration, and local self-government,” she stated.
In response to a recommendation from the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Union of Municipalities distributed to all local governments the Local Plan for the Prevention of Violence against Children and Youth, adopted by the Municipality of Bar, which can serve as a model for the development and adoption of similar prevention plans.
The Plan envisages the establishment of local multi-sectoral teams comprising representatives from the education, healthcare, public administration, and police sectors, as well as schools, parents, and designated contact persons from the Ministry of Education. The Municipality of Tivat has already taken the initiative and begun forming its own team, and other municipalities are expected to follow this example.
“It is deeply concerning to see the growing number of cases involving severe forms of violence among children, including those that go unreported. That is why it is essential for local governments to recognize the importance of this plan and mobilize all necessary resources for its implementation,” Nedović emphasized.
The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro remains committed to constructive dialogue and active participation in the development of public policies that will ensure sustainable and high-quality services for the most vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people.
