Protection of Persons Restricted in their Freedom

Facilities for institutional and protective education, which include diagnostic institutions, children’s homes, children’s homes with school, and reformatories, are for children with ordered institutional education, with imposed protective education or for children in respect of whom an emergency ruling was granted. A diagnostic institution is an exception since it can also provide care to children placed there due to behavioural disorders on the basis of a request by a statutory representative (this possibility is to be repealed by an upcoming amendment to the Institutional and Protective Education Act).

Since the beginning of his activities, the Defender has been dealing with complaints of children, their parents or other persons about conditions in these facilities and potential infringement of rights. The information acquired from specific complaints is also applied during systematic visits, which have been made to facilities for institutional and protective education since 2006. The Defender’s findings and recommendations can be found in reports on visits to facilities where educational and protective education is exercised.

The basic legal regulation related to school facilities and the rights and obligations of children is contained in Act No. 109/2002 Sb., on the Exercise of Institutional and Protective Education in School Establishments and on Preventive Educational Care in School Establishments and on Amendments to Other Acts, as amended. However, it needs to be noted that the treatment of children and the respect for their rights need to be considered from the perspective of adhering to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and, for example, the Schools Act. In the area of family reconstruction, the judicial decisions of the European Court of Human Rights need to be taken into account too.

Visits and activities in 2012

Visits and activities in 2007

Visits and activities in 2006

Visited facilities for the exercise of institutional and protective education

Map of already visited facilities

Reports from visits of facilities for the exercise of institutional and protective education

Report from Visit of Facilities for the Exercise of Institutional and Protective Education (March 2007) - summary