Only when parents fail to exercise their right and duty to care for their child, the state is entitled and obliged to interfere with the right and duty of the parents in order to protect the best interests of the child. At its disposal, the state has several measures for the protection of the best interests of the child, among which the separation of the child from the parents. Marriage and Family Relations Act does not ensure an efficient protection of the best interests of the child in the process of separating the child from the parents. The separation of the child from the parents is decided upon by the social work centre in an administrative procedure and the court in a civil or non-contentious civil procedure, which is in contrast with the principle of equal protection of rights. Numerous legal issues arise when the administrative and court jurisdictions collide, which decreases legal certainty. The social work centre is not suitable as an authority on deciding about the separation of the child from the parents, since it plays several incompatible roles in the process, and the administrative procedure fails to guarantee fundamental rights to the parents and the child. A comprehensive protection of the best interests of the child in the procedure of separating the child from the parents is not possible, since in most cases in this procedure it is not possible to decide also on other rights and duties the parents have towards their child, and neither on the alternative care of the child, which is the responsibility of the social work centre. The Family Code, replacing the Marriage and Family Relations Act, is introducing radical changes with the intention of ensuring a comprehensive and quality protection of the best interests of the child. The competence to decide on the separation of the child from the parents is, with the exception of an urgent removal of the child, transferred to an impartial court which will rule in a non-contentious civil procedure or civil procedure. In the procedure of separating the child from the parents the court is also competent to decide on other rights and duties of the parents and on the alternative care of the child. The role of the social work centre in this is to offer professional advice and assist the court in the procedure.
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