Foster care benefits aim to deinstitutionalize children

With the aim of deinstitutionalizing children living in care facilities, the Labor Ministry is introducing benefits to the country’s foster care system as of June to the tune of 325-1,200 euros per month.

The new benefits are described by the ministry as a way to “get children out of institutions so they can have a family and a better future.”

According to the ministry, some children in Greece don’t live with their families because they cannot take care of them, or they have found themselves stuck living in care facilities for years due to legal issues and cannot be adopted.

“We are creating the conditions to have many foster families – as in most European countries,” said Deputy Labor Minister Domna Michailidou.

Since the implementation of the new adoption / foster care system, some 700 children have so far found a home in 2021.