According to statistics, 722 institutional care facilities hosting almost 91,642 children operated in Ukraine in 2022. The orphanage system is currently being reformed.
Earlier, the U-LEAD with Europe Programme organised the info session “Development of Alternative Formats of Family Upbringing in Municipalities” for local self-government officials. At the event, U-LEAD experts Nataliia Kuziak and Iryna Zmysna presented the powers of local self-government bodies in reforming the system of institutional care for children, discussed the specific aspects of the development of alternative formats of their upbringing at the municipal level and explained the importance of protecting children’s rights and ensuring the provision of services to families.
As Nataliia Kuziak pointed out, Ukraine has adopted the National Strategy for Reforming the System of Institutional Care and Upbringing of Children for 2017–2026. The Strategy defines the powers of local self-government in this area. For instance, regarding the development of a network of service providers, the establishment of a system of early identification and intervention, support of the biological family and support of families in adverse life circumstances.
“To be comprehensive, social services should include educational, healthcare, cultural and rehabilitation services, all provided at the municipal level. It’s the municipality’s task to contribute to the creation of the proper environment for the development of family-type formats of upbringing. It should also raise public awareness about the importance of the upbringing and development of a child in the family,” she said.
She added that the tasks to be addressed at the municipality level should be embedded in local target programmes which inform the funding.
In 2023, 883 children were adopted, 593 were raised in 293 foster families, 8,936 children resided in 1,298 family-type orphanages, 2,819 foster families raised 5,430 children, and 44,322 children were under guardianship. These are the statistics cited by Iryna Zmysna as she spoke about alternative formats of family upbringing. She stated the following:
“Today, Ukraine offers alternatives to orphanage-type institutions such as adoption, guardianship, foster families, family-type homes and patronage. They provide the child with a better environment for development.”
Adoption means taking a person into a family as a daughter or son formalised by a court decision. Naturally, the adoption procedure is the same in wartime, and the stages of adoption are the same: you have to collect the documents, pass the training, establish contact with the child, and the child should be adopted based on a court decision.
Guardianship and custodial care refer to a format of placement in a family to ensure the upbringing of orphans and children who, due to the death or illness of their parents, deprivation of their parental rights or for other reasons, were left without parental care. Guardianship and custodial care are also established to protect the child’s property and non-property rights. Custodial care is established over a child under the age of 14, and guardianship is established over a child between the ages of 14 and 18.
A foster family is a family or a single person who voluntarily took one to four orphans and children deprived of parental care to raise and live together for monetary compensation.
“Yesterday, I saw a question from a municipality. There is a family of IDPs who would like to foster children, but they do not have permanent housing, as their house remains in the occupied territory. Persons who lack a permanent place of residence or a stable income cannot be foster parents. The priority is the child’s safety and best interest. Therefore, in the light of what we provide, what we work for and what we have to provide, best interest of the child is your first priority and primary objective today,” stressed Ms Zmysna.
A family-type house is a separate family created at the request of a spouse or a single person to provide family upbringing and a shared living environment for at least five orphans and children deprived of parental care. Children live and are brought up in a family-type home until the age of 18. Children raised in a family-type home do not lose the status of an orphan or a child deprived of parental care. They are entitled to all benefits provided for by the law of Ukraine.
In addition to alternative forms of education, Ukraine currently has a comprehensive social service of family patronage. It provides for the temporary care, upbringing and rehabilitation of a child in the patron family while the child’s family overcomes adverse life circumstances.
A patron family is an alternative to orphanage-type facilities, shelters, hospitals, and initial care facilities for children removed from the family. A patron family mean trained parents who are able to professionally help a child cope with the separation from the biological parents.
It is essential for the municipality to think strategically and be one step ahead. Firstly, think about further steps regarding the integration of children who were brought up in orphanage-type institutions or had alternative formats of upbringing into the municipality. Create conditions for their socialisation.
Secondly, introduce corrective programmes for parents who fail at their parental duties. Finally, provide services and keep a close eye on those parents who, as of today, are guardians, custodians, foster parents or carers in family-type children’s homes. After all, they are at risk of burning out and need extensive and strong social support so that they do not lose their parental capacity.
Thus, reforming the system of institutional child care primarily involves the development of social services for families with children and for children locally, at the municipality level. The next step is seeking and training candidates who will later decide to adopt or foster a child or create a family-type children’s home. Provide and allocate the necessary municipal resources for the development of those alternative formats of upbringing in the family.
Expert Nataliia Kuziak emphasised the importance of developing alternative formats of upbringing at the municipal level:
“The municipality should contribute to the creation of a proper environment for the development of family formats of upbringing and shaping public opinion about the importance of upbringing and development of a child in the family.”
Furthermore, according to the experts, specific measures and initiatives at the local level could include the creation of family support centres, organising activities to raise public awareness of the importance of upbringing in the family and cooperation with NGOs to secure additional resources and support.