Background information

Primero is an open-source software helping outreach workers identify and register refugee children and refer them to specialised services as needed. It allows the early identification of potential situations of abuse, neglect or trafficking in order to adopt necessary measures to secure and protect the rights of the child.

Content of measure

Primero is coordinated by the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA) and used by the General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC) to quickly identify, register, and monitor children arriving from Ukraine, who are either in transit or temporarily staying in Romania. It is also used for the early identification of potential situations of abuse, neglect or trafficking in order to implement measures to ensure and protect children's rights.

The Primero platform registers data on parents or any adults accompanying children, their temporary or permanent residence in Romania, and their needs, including access to health, education or social protection services. The initial assessment involves establishing a risk level, from which children are referred to specific authorities and services according to their needs, such as county directorates for child protection, social assistance directorates, or immigration authorities.

Use of measure

In the first 140 days, about 50% of the registrations were made in five counties - Bucharest (17%), Constanta (12%), Vaslui (9%), Iasi (7%) and Maramures (7%). 317 trained social workers and psychologists who are responsible for identifying and registering children, and are coordinated by 47 county coordinators currently are using Primero.

By January 2023, 15,480 Ukrainian children have been registered in Primero in 41 Romanian counties and the 6 sectors of Bucharest; social workers from 41 county-level child protection authorities are trained in Primero and 317 tablets were purchased and distributed to volunteer teams for Primero registration activities.

As of 15 February 2023, 19,726 Ukrainian children have been registered in Primero while 795 service providers have been trained on child protection.

By the end of May 2023, 27,049 Ukrainian children had been introduced into the PRIMERO app records.

By the end of June 2023, 28,020 Ukrainian children had been introduced into the PRIMERO app records.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Children (minors) Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Public support service providers	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

There is no publicly available information about the social partners' involvement in designing, implementing and monitoring the measure.

Views and reactions

There is no publicly available information about the social partners' views or reaction on the measure.

Sources

• 01 August 2022: PRIMERO - app launched to monitor children coming from Ukraine (PRIMERO – aplicație lansată pentru monitorizarea copiilor veniți din Ucraina) (copii.gov.ro)
• 13 January 2023: Romania's Response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis (Răspunsul României la criza umanitară a refugiaților ucraineni) (www.gov.ro)
• 28 February 2023: Romania's Response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Monthly Snapshot - Feb 2023 (Răspunsul României la criza refugiaților ucraineni actualizare lunară – februarie 2023) (protectieucraina.gov.ro)
• 31 May 2023: Romania's Response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Monthly Snapshot - May 2023 (protectieucraina.gov.ro)
• 30 June 2023: Romania's Response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Monthly Snapshot - June 2023 (protectieucraina.gov.ro)