A six- or eight-year-old child has barely entered the world of school, yet may already be struggling with emotional difficulties that require psychiatric help. However, if the child lives in one of the country’s eight counties, there is not a single child psychiatrist available locally.
Szilvia Gyurkó spoke about this at the SOS Children's Villages expert meeting “Without taboos: is Hungarian child protection in crisis?” Népszava reported on the October 7 meeting.
## Too few specialists, many children waiting for help
The lack of child psychiatric care puts those living in child welfare care or with foster parents in a particularly difficult situation. They often have to cope with severe losses and trauma to begin with, yet there are few specialists in the care system, and too few people choose this career path.
It was said at the meeting that some children may be overmedicated. Szilvia Gyurkó called this a convenience way of handling problems. The issue is all the more serious because without proper therapy and continuous professional support, medication alone does not solve the situation the child lives in.
The ministries of social affairs and health are discussing expanding services. The plans include a scholarship to steer university students toward a career in child protection.
## An empty place is not enough
The overload of the foster care network was also discussed. According to Gyurkó, the practice of simply taking a child “wherever there is space” must change. Children need an environment where they get care suited to their condition and individual needs.
According to what was said at the event, foster parent suitability assessments have already been sped up and simplified. Those who have long been waiting for a decision may also be given individual priority.
The government plans to allocate 9.5 billion forints to special therapeutic homes in the first phase, according to Népszava. The funds would be used to create residential care facilities capable of accommodating children with special needs who are dealing with psychological or psychiatric issues.
At the SOS Children's Villages event, participants also discussed low wages, high employee turnover, cases of child abuse, and the situation of infants left in the hospital.
Source: Népszava
