Since 2005, the Government of Georgia has been committed to reforming the child-care system and in particular has taken important steps to end the use of institutional care for children deprived of parental care. Between 2005 and 2013, the Government of Georgia closed approximately 50 large state-run institutions housing children without adequate family care. Almost 5,000 children benefited from a robust programme developed to be reunited with their families, from a foster care system put into place and scaled up, and from the establishment of small group homes housing 8 to 10 children. A strong emphasis was placed on the development of family support services. Day-care and early intervention programmes increased in terms of geographical and beneficiaries age coverage as well as in terms of per capita state financing of the service. To prevent unnecessary family separation, the Social Service Agency (SSA) has developed a new gatekeeping policy where social worker plays an important role.

source: jobs.ge