Hungary's child protection efforts point beyond any single person and will continue unabated.Continue reading
The government will require all heads of child protection institutions to undergo a psychological aptitude testing, the Ministry of Interior announced on Monday.
The ministry said in a statement that the first tightening of the requirements for heads of state child protection institutions, regulated by a government decree, has already entered into force and that the aptitude tests will start soon.
They announced that the provisions laid down for persons employed by public bodies with responsibilities in the field of child protection would apply to:
After an article in Népszava stated that this regulation would not apply to church institutions, the Ministry of Interior explained that initially only state institutions would be affected, as these institutions are regulated by a government decree. Soon, however, non-state institutions will also be covered.
The government will submit a legislative amendment to parliament imposing the mandatory psychological aptitude testing for heads of non-state child protection institutions,
the ministry’s statement reads.
Last summer, data showed that 17 percent of children’s homes were run by churches and another one percent by other non-governmental organizations, while the proportion of foster care networks with church or church-affiliated operators was 98.6 percent, according to Telex.
Currently, psychological aptitude testing is still mandatory for those who have direct contact with children in child protection institutes run by the Reformed Church of Hungary, the church noted in a statement sent to Magyar Nemzet. They stated that they support the government’s proposal to submit an amendment to the National Assembly that would require the heads of non-governmental child protection institutions to pass psychological aptitude testing.
Via Ungarn Heute, Featured image: Facebook/Szent Rita Nevelőszülői Hálózat