Prevention of Children Abandonment – Resilience Factors

Romania is still facing the phenomenon of children abandoned in maternities or paediatric hospitals units and is still facing the children institutionalized system. However, the mothers who ask for help from the child protection services and who will stay in maternal centres, will manage to raise their children as single mothers, after the maternal centre residency. The factors that influence their decision to not abandon their children and the aspects of their life context are analysed in the present study.

Research objective: The objective of the study is to identify resilience factors that is helping single mothers to raise their children even though they face financial and family reintegration difficulties.

Methodology: The study analyses the national data from the Romanian National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of the Child and Adoption regarding abandoned children. The study presents the results of an exploratory research regarding resilience factors. The authors interviewed both employees and service users from different maternal centres from Bucharest, Romania. Main results and implication: Between the relevant aspects regarding child abandonment prevention there are the financial independency and involvement of relatives in the life of the mother-child couples.

General conclusion: Many of the mothers who access services of the maternal centres would like to have a life together with their child’s father, even though they are, in some cases, involved in another romantic relationship. Also, if they have a good relationship with their parents they will remain with their children after leaving the maternal centre residence. In addition, if the mothers will be financially independent, with jobs and had learned proper effective ways to manage the money, then the children will remain with their mothers.


Keywords: child abandonment, maternal centres, resilience, Romania