OPTION FOR CHILDEREN

Commissions for the Protection of Minors have opened 1,800 cases
The committees for the protection of children of the district of Leiria have hands on 1,800 cases of children in situations of risk. Abandonment school and poverty are two of the problems identified in the evaluation procedures.
The Assistant Secretary of State and Rehabilitation, Idália Moniz, in Leiria revealed yesterday that the 16 committees for the protection of children in the district have opened 1,800 cases involving children at risk.
According Idália Moniz, these processes are "connected with the school and with situations of poverty." The Committees for the Protection of Minors, acresctnou, are working so that solutions can be found. "The committees have a very important role in fighting that kind of situation, but, as you know, the processes are complex," said the secretary of state, in the School of Education (ESE) from Leiria, on the sidelines of a meeting of work between the technical committee of children of the district and Armando Leandro, chairman of the National Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People at Risk (CNPCJR)
This third round of meetings between the national committee and the district committees is explained by the Secretary of State as a form of the technicians transmit their concerns and together reflect on concrete solutions. After the strengthening of the technical committees occurred last year, the Secretary of State said that the work has to be directed to a change in the fight against leaving school.
According to the responsible, last year the committees that prevented more than 20 thousand children have left the school. A phenomenon that is being overtaken by the negligence of children from families destruturadas. "It is good that people understand that the skills of children is increasingly important in the future, but the reality is that neglect has triggered," he added Idália Moniz.
To fight the school failure, the Secretary of State stressed the importance of the figure of the teacher-coach, who spends part of his time to support the commission on protection of minors.
By the end of 2010, the Secretary of State wants all the committees to have a smaller teacher-tutor.
In this context, the responsible advocates also a "greater" coordination between the local authorities and private institutions of social solidarity, a fight for "more effective" at-risk situations, which in most cases are associated with poverty.

Opinion of children

At the end of the meeting between responsible for the commission, held a period to allow the students of the School EB2, 3 Rainha Santa Isabel, questioning the secretary of state on the future professional.
Idália Moniz was touched by the proposal of one of the students, challenging public bodies to assist students to define the future in terms professionals to avoid that decisions are taken without due consideration. "The opinion of the students is important and the proposal is interesting, therefore we are prepared to cooperate," stressed, advocating the importance of youth participation in committees extended, to speak of "live voice" on the problems that afectam.