14,000 Ukrainian refugee children were registered in Primero in the first 4 months of its launch

BUCHAREST, 12 December 2022 - Primero was launched in Romania on 25 July 2022 by the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Equal Opportunities, through the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA), in partnership with UNICEF Romania and Sera Romania. Since then, almost 14,000 Ukrainian children who fled the war have been successfully registered on the platform, out of an estimated number of 37,000 children in Romania. 

Primero is an open-source software, currently used in over 40 countries worldwide to support professionals on the ground with the identification, registration, and referral of refugee children to specialized services according to their needs. In Romania, Primero is used under the coordination of ANPDCA, by all the General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC) in the country, to quickly identify, register, and monitor children arriving from Ukraine fleeing war, while they are on the move transiting through Romania, or during their temporary stay. 

Primero is also used for the early identification of potential situations of abuse, neglect, or trafficking, as well as for the implementation of all necessary measures to ensure and protect children's rights. 

In the first 140 days of Primero in Romania, about 50% of the registrations were made in five counties - Bucharest (17%), Constanta (12%), Vaslui (9%), Iași (7%) and Maramureș (7%). 

Registering Ukrainian children in the Primero platform provides them access to protection and services. 

UNICEF Romania works closely with the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities and the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption to ensure that every child, regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality, ability, or family situation, has adequate protection and access to essential services.     

The use of Primero is an essential step in providing refugee children and their families the protection and services they need, because registering and monitoring children is an important part of this activity. 

Primero is currently used by 317 trained users - social workers and psychologists - responsible for identifying and registering children, coordinated by 47 county coordinators. 

Identification and recording are carried out only after the interviewee has been informed and asked for their consent. The Primero platform records data on parents, adults accompanying children or their caregivers, temporary or permanent residence in Romania, and their needs, including access to health, education, or social protection services, etc. The initial phase of registeration also involves assessing their risk level. This helps a child to be referred to the institutions responsible for providing the necessary services based on their situations, such as county child protection directorates, social assistance directorates and immigration authorities.