The awards, consisting of a certificate of recognition and a HRK 5,000 reward, were presented by the Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Minister Josip Aladrović.
The award-giving ceremony was also addressed by young people who have grown up in foster families, one of which said that people often do not understand the difference between foster parenting and adoption and that one should seek to obtain more information about foster care as there is a large number of children in need of help.
Minister Aladrović said that last week an action plan for the social welfare system was officially presented and that a national council for development of social policies was formed, one of its priority tasks being the promotion of foster parenting and an increase in the number of foster parents and foster children.
"There is no alternative to non-institutional care and we will work proactively on it and in cooperation with all associations, UNICEF, the foster care association "Forum za kvalitetno udomiteljstvo" and everyone else concerned," he said.
He stressed that a task force had been formed to define amendments to the Foster Care Act that would additionally promote foster parenting.
Aladrović said that the ministry planned to have the amended law on foster care go into force on 1 January 2022 and that in order to encourage foster patenting, compensation for foster parents would have to be increased and conditions for those wishing to provide foster care relaxed while putting children's interests first.