special care service, and therefore those clients regularly passed through the family of the
children. In another family the living room had a door with bars and the room of one child only
had a mattress. According to the staff, such an arrangement was due to the alleged bouts of rage
of one child.
The Chancellor explained that the general location of living rooms has an important role in
ensuring family-like conditions, security and privacy. The provision of the service for children
in separate rooms allows shaping the environment so that it corresponds to their age and
development and helps to avoid threats to the well-being of children arising from third party
adults. Family rooms of a substitute home are the children’s home which should not be passed
through by neighbours. Inter alia, children should be ensured the right to privacy, so that the
family and the children could be on their own without interference. The threat to the safety of
the children should also be ruled out: the right of the child to safety is violated not only when
the child has been hurt but also when the potential risks have not been mitigated.
The Chancellor also noted that empty and barred rooms do not create a home-like environment.
Of course, it should be taken into account that the furniture and design should meet the needs
of the children and be safe. Thus, it is understandable if the furniture in family rooms differs
depending on the special needs of the children. However, experts believe that even in case of
children with behavioural problems a normal living environment contributes to changing their
behaviour towards the desired outcome. Therefore, instead of bars and removal of the furniture
a solution should be found which ensures that the furniture is safe and home-like at the same
time (e.g. furniture from break-resistant material, curtains attached with a snap) and that
children are given repeated opportunities to get used to the furniture.
In conclusion, the Chancellor recommended to organise the provision of the substitute home
service in a way that the clients receiving others kinds of services do not pass through the living
rooms of the substitute home, and to consult with specialists on how to furnish the living rooms
so that they are safe and home-like at the same time.
5. Catering of children
The main purpose of the follow-up visit to Lasnamäe Centre of Tallinn Children’s Home was
to get an overview of how the substitute home had complied with the recommendation given in
2013 to ensure the right of children to sufficient, varied and fully nutritional food. At that time
the food portions did not differ according to the age group of the children, they did not meet the
food energy need of the children and did not meet the Estonian food or nutritional requirements.
Based on the results of the follow-up inspection, the Chancellor could note with satisfaction
that the provided food corresponded to the daily energy needs of children of different ages.
However, it was found that the intervals between meals were longer than allowed and the food
contained somewhat more fats and less carbohydrates than required. Therefore, the Chancellor
recommended to the substitute home to comply in the future with the health protection
requirements established for catering.
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