Moldovan MPs consider first ex-post impact evaluation of law approved

Chisinau, 13 September /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament for the first time ever carried out the ex-post impact evaluation of a legislative act approved, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.

The preliminary report of the ex-post impact evaluation of the law on social protection of children at risk, separated from parents, was unveiled at a today’s meeting of the commission for social protection, health and family. The document was worked out by an independent expert.

In the beginning of the meeting, the head of the aforementioned commission, Valentina Buliga, said that, in early 2018, the parliament’s Standing Bureau approved a methodology of the ex-post evaluation concerning the enforcement of legislative acts. “The commission for social protection, health and family is set to evaluate, this year, two laws: one law on the social protection of children at risk and another one on exercising the profession of physician and pharmacist. The report of the first law evaluated is presented today,” the lawmaker said.  

An independent expert, Ina Sotchi, said that the goal of the exercise was to analyze the procedures of identifying, assessing, assistance, referring, monitoring and record of children at risk. Also, decision-makers analyzed the competences of the authorities and structures in charge of the present procedures and if they have enough legal levers for carrying them out.

”The investigation shows that the legislation on the protection of children is complex, but which might be improved and a string of recommendations have been formulated to this end. They refer both to the structure of the legislative act and the institutional or managerial approach,” the expert said.   

According to Sotchi, decision-makers propose to establish in the legislation the obligation to employ a specialist for the protection of children’s rights, with his/her financing from the state budget. Also, they recommend the establishment of a new judicial procedure on considering cases of authorizing the taking of the child from the family for a short period, termination of the parental rights or taking the child away from the family. This procedure would imply the existence of specialized panels trained in the sector, which will urgently consider litigations. Another proposal is to exclude the obligation of the presence of the community social assistant, family physician and the district police officer at the procedure of immediate insurance taking away of the child.   

State Secretary at the Health, Labour and Social Protection Ministry Viorica Dumbraveanu praised the evaluation carried out. She said that the legislation in this sector was really revolutionary, which is improved when needed. “We will consider the recommendations of the expert for the final report,” Dumbraveanu added.    

According to data from the preliminary report, 35,441 children separated from parents were in the files in late 2017, of whom 30,320 children whose parents/the only parent are left abroad, 1,079 children for whom the status of children who temporarily remained without parental care was established, 3,749 children for whom the status of children who remained without parental care was set, 293 children taken away from their parents because of the existence of the imminent danger for their life or health.  

The ex-post evaluation concerning the implementation of legislative acts represents one of the instruments of carrying out the parliamentary control, a priority of the parliament. So far, the parliament has not used the ex-post evaluation instrument. It will allow analyzing data about how the legislative act was implemented, whether all needed instruments were approved, which was the impact on the society and on specific sectors or groups, which are the economic, financial, social, administrative effects, etc., which were the eventual reasons which hindered the enforcement of the legislative act.