1. 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

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

3. Divorced persons 2006: 32.672 2007: 36.308 2008: 35.685 (Source: National Institute of Statistics - NIS, Statistical Yearbook 2009) 2010: over 32.600 divorces January – August 2011: over 22.500 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

4. EVOLUTION OF MARRIAGES AND DIVORCES

5. Percentage of separation in Romania Data not available! 5

7. 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 1990 32966 1487519032537512284301251 1991 37031 1728911858587613694771584 1992 29290 13566973746489252821302 1993 31193 163129701410074024793 - 1994 39663 171721467260891220373137 - 1995 34906 16031125614922938315139 - 1996 35586 16808126534802939275109 - 1997 34752 15826129454639915299128 - 1998 39985 186141451853511062317123 - 1999 34408 1690312285420071322285- 2000 30725 1577810638347257419865- 2001 31135 1535811322366255817263- 2002 31790 1548711578384061719276- 2003 33073 1627012053396057315067- 2004 35225 1683013313419163018675- 2005 33193 1648512249372551713681- 2006 32672 16558118783544 48114665 - 2007 36308 18929128253851 52412257 - 2008 35685 18910121663881 53912465 -

9. 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 Total19423100.07003150510915 Fizic 1557 8.058224951 Physical Somatic 764 3.94756283 Somatic Auditiv 113 0.6631634 Auditive Vizual 542 2.835360129 Vizual Mintal 8203 42.226228344747 Mental Neuropsihic 5235 27.014703943371 Neuropsychic Handicap sever (asociat) 1526 7.9464164898 Severe disabled (asociated) Boli rare 2) 42 0.215-27 Uncommon sickness 2) Surdocecitate 7 -4-3 Deafness Social 1434 7.49557472 Social

11. Children with disabilities Total CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES at 31.03.2011, out of which: Source: the Services for Complex Evaluation of DGASPC (General Direction of Social Assistance and Child Protection) 90303 - children with learning and socio-schooling adaptation problems, having only school/professional orientation certificates 17635 - children registered with low degree of disability2717 - children registered with medium degree of disability21319 - children registered with accentuated degree of disability14925 - children registered with severe degree of disability33707 TYPE OF EDUCATION ATTENDED BY DISABLED CHILDREN at 31.03.2011 Source: the Services for Complex Evaluation of DGASPC (General Direction of Social Assistance and Child Protection) - children attending mass education23772 - children attending special education18926 - children attenting integrated special education, out of which:7591  within compact class 1081  within a group 1125  individually 5385 - other types of education 2982

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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 1990. 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

15. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION!