There will be extra funding allocated in next year’s central budget for hiring additional experts to help the work of the 70 to 80 groups of special needs children, Károly Czibere said.

The staff of expert panels tasked with deciding on the placement of special needs children in foster care will be increased by 10% next year. The administrative staff of the central foster care authority will be increased by 20% to reduce bureaucracy in the way of faster placements, he said, adding that the number of children rights representatives would be increased by 30%.

Czibere said that children with special needs will be in special focus under the government’s child protection network programme. The programme aims to reduce crowdedness in foster homes and increase capacity, as well as improve general conditions at these facilities across the country.

New and modern facilities will be set up with 5.8 billion forints (EUR 16.4m) by 2020, he said.

In Békéscsaba the cornerstone of a new, 160-million forint facility for 20 boys needing special psychiatric care was laid. Co-funded by the EU, it is planned to open in early 2019, Katalin Sziszák, a local children protection authority leader, said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.