Insights from the Kajántó Mária Home for Children and Youth in the View of the Romanian Child Protection System

This article highlights the support and care provided to disadvantaged children by the Reformed Church in Romania and by other religious institutions abroad, including the Dutch Church. Simultaneously, it highlights the Romanian child protection system and its transformation after 1989, drawing a perspective on the Kajántó Mária Home for Children and Youth, a childcare home in Aleșd, Romania. Most studies and research focus predominantly on the Romanian child protection system and legislation. These studies provide an account of the change in attitude, opportunities for improvement, good and bad practices, highlighting the outline for children’s care that has developed over the past 30 years. However, child protection homes and the voices of the institutions have received significantly less attention to show what a disadvantaged child truly needs. The article illustrates the challenges of adapting to changing legislation and highlights community resilience through the example of Kajántó Mária Home, which provides comprehensive care programs for vulnerable children. It provides a critical examination of how social and cultural circumstances have shaped the development of the Romanian state’s child protection framework. By aligning the case study, this paper underscores the importance of collective action and constitutional measures in shaping societal structures and protecting vulnerable populations.