About 4,600 children under the age of 18 live in the homes of the Chilean state’s safety net. Depending on the National Service for the Special Protection of Children and Young People, more than a quarter of these facilities are overcrowded. When those who are full are also taken into account, the percentage of these organizations that are at the limit or exceeding their capacity reaches 43%, according to a Supreme Court report released this week, which describes “the critical situation where A is significant , taken into account Numerous children and young people are cared for.
Of the total number of dependent minors, 513 are in “complete abandonment” with no nuclear or extended family adult present in their life to provide a bond to persuade them to leave the facility. 41 of them are not Chileans. Only 7% of the minors living in Better Childhood’s homes are open for adoption, in the process of adoption, or already sentenced.
The radiography produced by the report is devastating. Two hundred and fifty have a court search warrant, which means they ran away from home and their whereabouts are unknown. The observations of the judges and technical advisers who visited the facilities show their concern about the ease with which minors manage to leave the premises “where they constantly expose themselves to prostitution and polydrug use”. Also from a “significant and alarming” number of minors who have problem drug and alcohol use in some homes.
Peer violence in all its forms has become widespread and normal, and “many” minors are exposed physically, psychologically and emotionally to victimization and new sources of vulnerability. The document also warns of the lack of intervention plans that indicate an individual or collective solution to this problem. The recurring behavioral crises, according to the observations of those responsible for the document, are due to the lack of space and organization of leisure activities, as well as the lack of methods and resources that allow them to connect regularly with their families.
Unprepared youth for independent living is another red flag raised by the Supreme Court report: “It is important to note that they are nearing the end of their protections and still lack the resources to face the phase ahead deliver . comes and that means completing these sheltered centers and joining adult life in all its dimensions”. This may respond to low staffing levels. The study reports a shortage of professionals, particularly psychiatrists, speech therapists and teachers, and notes that the workload of professionals and technicians in some residences is “overburdened”.
The infrastructure is also due in several companies. The document warns of the deteriorated conditions some of the new homes are in, although it highlights the management of some directors and their teams, who are coordinating repairs and improvements with private companies to bring residents greater comfort. Records often include broken or poorly maintained furniture, windows, and glass. They argue that the quality of life of minors could become more dignified and comfortable with small and not-so-expensive improvements, such as replacing broken sink covers, working shower heads and arranged in every shower, repairing water leaks in bathrooms and kitchens, installing missing plug covers, covertly or insulated power lines to prevent major accidents.
State-protected children and adolescents have been particularly sensitive to Chile since 2016, when the government reported that between 2005 and 2013, 865 minors under the age of 18 died while in one of the inpatient or outpatient protection systems of the then-named National Service for Minors (Sename ) for various reasons. Reforms made to the system as a result of the tragedy included the production of a biannual report by the Supreme Court detailing the psychological, social and health situation of minors living in institutions and hostels and recommending which ones Actions to take are taking
Between January and June 2022, there were 302 residences in the South American country, which fell to 289 in the second half of the year – the period covered by the recently released report – a reduction the document attributes to possible administrative procedures carried out by the Special Protection Service that took over to replace Sename.
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