.hr
Udruga Dijete razvod
www.udruga-dijete-razvod.bloger.hr
Association Child-Divorce
about
Often we are confronted with information about the manipulations children during and after divorce.
In the process of divorce are involved parents, the Centre for Social Welfare, Courts, Ombudsman for Children, Gender Equality, Office for Human Rights, Lawyers, Ombudsman, expert witnesses, the Ministry of Family, Intergenerational Solidarity and War Veterans, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ministry of the Interior, in particular departments for combating domestic violence and juvenile record, including the Parliament and many other factors.
And children? The phrase ‘the best interest of the child’ often hides all other than the interests of the child.
The Association Child-Divorce is a national non-government non-profit organisation (established in February 2008) that is mostly oriented to obtaining information resources for all involved parties in order to help them make decisions directed to bringing about better outcomes for children.
Our services are available to parents who are caring for their children alone, those who are sharing care and those who have no contact with their children, and anyone else with concerns about family separation, including lawyers, judges, social care center workers (psychologists, social workers, jurists), concerned government bodies (Children’s State Advocate, Ombudsman, State Gender Equality Office)
We believe that best parent is both parents, regardless of whether children live with both parents or with one of them. We want to help children to have ongoing relationships with both of their parents. Parents not only need help to achieve this, they need the infrastructure which facilitates this. Infrastructure would include gender aware, accessible, empathic and empowering social care centers’ workers and judicial system and their workers’ competence. We believe that gender biases have to be overcome at all levels, legislation has to be changed, court procedures have to be shorter and more efficient, and Court Orders have to be more precise.
The Association delivers information and advice by telephone, email and through its website.
The Association has published a free brochure with a template of the parenting plan, advice collected from experts, and addresses of all relevant bodies involved in decisions about children of divorcing and divorced parents, which has been distributed to all social care centers and can also be downloaded from our web page.
The Association was founded to:
- promote the rights of children to both parents and their extended family during and after divorce
- protect primarily psychological and emotional interests of children and their families during and after divorce
- provide assistance to children and their families immediately before the divorce, during divorce, and after and
- develop a society that understands and effectively addresses the problems of children and their families during and after the divorce of parents
Activities of the Association:
- questions the public with the problems of children and their families during and after divorce
- actively participate in improving legislation and implementation in the same institutions, for better problem-solving of children and their families during and after divorce
- if necessary, adequate provision of free professional psychological help to children and their families, and free legal advice and information to children and their families during and after divorce
- organize self-help group for parents during and after divorce
- work of volunteers (telephone counselling) on the line for children and their parents during and after divorce
- training of volunteers for telephone counselling and training of experts through seminars, courses, exercises, etc.
- gathering of all interested persons, who are willing to work on senzibiliziranja public to the problems of children during and after divorce and their families
- encouraging research on psychological and emotional abuse of children during and after divorce in
- publishing, the field of NGO activities, in accordance with special regulations
- organizing professional and scientific meetings
- organize appropriate events (concerts, exhibitions, performances) in order to introduce the general public with the issue of children during and after divorce
- active cooperation with national and international institutions dealing with protection of the rights of children to both parents during and after divorce and their families.
funding
Government support in Croatia
Croatian government provides very little support to separated families except child support payment of about 60 euro per child where the parent does not receive it from another parent.
Parents have recourse to the courts where they are unable to make arrangements about their children after divorce or separation and judges generally do not have additional education in this particular area.
non Government support in Croatia
Services for people experiencing divorce or family separation in Croatia are usually based around supporting one or other parent and are declaratively based around the notion of ‘the best interest of the child’, which in practice means that the parent who got the ‘right’ to have the child after the divorce can exclusively make any decisions he/she wishes (relocation, education, health, etc.).
If a parent proves that he/she does not have sufficient income, he/she is entitled to free legal assisstance covered by the Bar Association.
There are few national, regional and local organisations that provide support and information to parents on parental rights, housing etc.
Legislation in Croatia
Family Law 2008 regulates children’s rights. However, in practice, both Social care centers and judges act traditionally biased and ill-equipped for problem solving, especially in conflict divorces where manipulation is at work.
useful links
Children’s Advocate of Croatia
www.dijete.hr
Center for Child Protection of Croatia
www.poliklinika-djeca.hr
© The European Network on Shared Parenthood (2009)
