• The ARFO Report on the Situation of Children in the Protection System was launched. While positive aspects such as the opening of the list of “hard to place” children have been highlighted, unfortunately, still fewer than 6% of children in the child protections system are considered adoptable, while 60% of the children in the system have no chance of reintegration in the biological family.
• The Summit was preceded by a conference for child protection specialists and focused on forming support groups.
• Over 40 workshops were held by specialists in the field of trauma and child protection.
• ARFO awards were given out for exceptional involvement in the adoption and family placement process.
• There were also remarkable testimonies
  • some of by parents who have adopted children with disabilities;
  • others shared experiences of adoption by families both in Romania and other countries;
  • testimonies of children who went through the system and were never adopted.

Hundreds of people are now better trained, more motivated, and more aware of the need to engage in adoption, family placement, and childcare for children with a history of abuse, severe neglect, and abandonment.