VET concepts and programmes for professionals working with disabled children and families in divorced situations - DisVorced - State-of-the-art in Romania Prepared by Group for European Integration, ROMANIA Kick-off meeting, Graz, Austria 6-7 October 2011

Topics Divorced persons Separation Children/ persons with disabilities Personal opinions 2

Divorced persons 2006: : : (Source: National Institute of Statistics - NIS, Statistical Yearbook 2009) 2010: over divorces January – August 2011: over divorces. The divorce rate was 1.51 per thousand. (Source: various surveys) The NIS data from previous years reflect a higher divorce rate for couples aged between 30 and 39 years. Also, families at risk to fall apart more quickly are those that have no children or only one child. In couples with more than 3 children, the risk of divorce decreases below 0.02%. Note: According to NIS, increased divorce rate is not a local phenomenon, because in Europe, one in two marriages ends in court. 3

EVOLUTION OF MARRIAGES AND DIVORCES

Percentage of separation in Romania Data not available! 5

DIVORCES BY NUMBER OF UNDER AGE CHILDREN REMAINED THROUGH MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION Anii Years Total Fără copii Without children Cu 1 copil With 1 child Cu 2 copii With 2 children Cu 3 copii With 3 children Cu 4 copii With 4 children Cu 5 copii şi peste With 5 children and over Nedeclarat Not-stated

ADULT PERSONS TAKEN CARE OF IN SOCIAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS OF NATIONAL AUTHORITY FOR DISABLED PEOPLE, BY TYPE OF DEFICIENCY, ON DECEMBER 31, 2008 Tipuri de deficienţe Type of deficiency Persoane adulte (număr)din care, în: Adult persons (number)of which, in: Total În % faţă de total In % as against total Centre de îngrijire şi asistenţă Care and assistance centers Centre de integrare Centre de recuperare şi reabilitare 1) Recovery and rehabilitation centers 1) prin terapie ocupaţională Centers for integration through occupational therapy Total Fizic Physical Somatic Somatic Auditiv Auditive Vizual Vizual Mintal Mental Neuropsihic Neuropsychic Handicap sever (asociat) Severe disabled (asociated) Boli rare 2) Uncommon sickness 2) Surdocecitate Deafness Social Social

Children with disabilities Total CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES at , out of which: Source: the Services for Complex Evaluation of DGASPC (General Direction of Social Assistance and Child Protection) children with learning and socio-schooling adaptation problems, having only school/professional orientation certificates children registered with low degree of disability children registered with medium degree of disability children registered with accentuated degree of disability children registered with severe degree of disability33707 TYPE OF EDUCATION ATTENDED BY DISABLED CHILDREN at Source: the Services for Complex Evaluation of DGASPC (General Direction of Social Assistance and Child Protection) - children attending mass education children attending special education children attenting integrated special education, out of which:7591  within compact class 1081  within a group 1125  individually other types of education 2982

Personal opinions…(1) Handicap versus disability Handicapped persons are those whose social environment, inadequate to their physical, sensory, psychical, mental deficiencies totally prevent them or limit their access with equal chances to social life according to age, sex, own material social and cultural factors, requiring measures of special protection in supporting them for social and professional integration (Law no. 519 of July 12, 2002 to approve Government Emergency Ordinance no. 102/1999 on special protection and employment of disabled people). Romanian legislation does not use the term "disabled persons", but only the “handicapped persons“!!! A clear definition of disability does not exist in international law, and in EU countries the term is defined differently depending on how disability is perceived (medical model vs. the social model), on the legal areas (anti-discrimination legislation, social assistance legislation, etc.). Currently, the new trends at world level require the use of the term "disabled person" (by society) in place of "person with disabilities", just to emphasize that disability is not an attribute of person but is an attribute of relationship person - environment. The inadequate environment is the one that “disabling” a person because of the architectural barriers s/he encounters. 12

Personal opinions…(2) Handicap versus disability Disability is "the result of interaction between a person with a disablement (invalidity) and barriers related to social environment and attitude that s/he can encounter (Disabled Peoples’ International - DPI). Disability is any restriction or lack of capacity (resulting from an invalidity/disablement) to perform an activity in the manner of or at the level considered normal for a human being“. (World Health Organisation – WHO) In EU, disability is seen as a problem of the whole society. This involves training and adaptation in all spheres of life, for receiving and maintaining these people in the mainstream of social life. 13

Personal opinions…(3) Disability and divorce – high importance because: Divorce has negative effect upon children, in general! Divorce affects more profoundly disabled children! Disability of a child is most of the time the cause of parents’ divorce! Parental separation trauma is difficult, both for wealthy and disabled children! Reasons: Studies done on children from divorced families in comparison with children from not- divorced families show unanimously that those in the first category suffer, they experience behavioral problems and are more likely to not graduate the high school. They are more likely to have juvenile offenses and are more affected by poverty. Teenagers are more likely to use drugs, alcohol and are sexually involved. From the medical point of view, are more often sick and many times are involved in sexual abuse. Even if a small percentage of them will not experience all these things, the trauma of divorce will have lasting impact. For all children divorce will "color" their image about life, people and relationships for the rest of their life. Judy Wallerstein performed a survey in which she has followed a group of children from divorced families between 1970 to Interviewing them after 18 months, 5,10,15 and after then 25 years from divorce, she was amazed to find that they have not recovered, they still experience failure, fear of loss, fear of change and conflict (Source: Romanian Family Alliance ) 14

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