Professional family-based care in Russia developed as an alternative to the upbringing of a child in an orphanage. The system of orphanage upbringing when a child is deprived of parental care is recognized as inadequate to the needs of a child’s development by the whole world, including Russia and is harmful for development of the child’s personality.
The PRIDE Model of Practice has been successfully implemented in the territory of the Russian Federation since 2002. The Murmansk region was a pilot region for implementing PRIDE in Russia. Cooperation between the humanitarian organization SOS – Children’s Villages Norway and the Government of Murmansk region that started in 2000 contributed to development of foster families in the region. More than 100 foster families in Murmansk region were established during the period of 4 years. In 2002, the first group of specialists was trained in the PRIDE program in the Murmansk region by Rob van Pagée.
The most important results of PRIDE program implementation are:
(1) comprehension of the importance of antecedent life of children by specialists and foster parents, and active use of Lifebooks;
(2) changing attitudes of foster parents and specialists about children’s biological relatives;
(3) changing attitudes about secrecy in adoption. It is traditional in Russia to keep the secrecy of adoption, but now the National Strategy of Actions in the Interests of Children formulates the task of transition to the system of open adoption;
(4) specialists from different structures, NGOs, mass media that are the sources of social, psychological and methodological support for foster families are interested in the PRIDE program that contributes to positive public opinion concerning foster families.
There is considerable change in the way of thinking concerning basic principles of children’s placement with families among specialists of guardianship and trusteeship authorities from different departments – education, social protection, heath care, law enforcement:
- from the priority «taking a child out of a family» to the principle «keeping a biological family together and developing follow up services»;
- from the principle «a child for a family» to the principle «a family for a child»;
- from understanding a role of a foster parent as «a new father/mother for a child» to the principle of «a professional foster family».
Comprehension of their professional role by foster parents contributes to better adaptation of children in a family and more success in overcoming trauma.
The number of orphan children and children left without parental care in Russia in 2012 were 654,400 persons (2.6 % of the total number of children). Of these, 82 % became social orphans as their biological parents were deprived of their parental rights. One out of ten of the total number of these children were abandoned right after birth (were left by their biological parents at the maternity hospitals).
Active state policy aimed at inspiring citizens to be involved in family placement of orphan children and children left without parental care resulted in a considerable decrease in the number of children raised in state boarding institutions in Russia (42% decrease for the period of the last 5 years; in 2011, a decrease to 105,700 children).
In the Murmansk region as of January 1, 2012 the total number of orphan children and children left without parental care was 4,831 (including adoptive children), 26% less than in 2010. In comparison with 2006 the number of orphan children decreased by 27.5% (from 6,161 to 4,831 children).
The PRIDE program raised great interest among university students and teachers, an important stage in establishing an environment of like-minded people who recognized the PRIDE principles.
Geographical coverage of PRIDE programs is extending every year; there are applications for training specialists on the program from Novosibirsk region, the city of Ufa, the city of Syktyvkar, etc.
One of the important goals of the strategic planning of the Children’s Villages - SOS, Russia from now to 2016 is working out how to adjust the PRIDE program to Russian conditions and requirements of Russian legislation.
Nikolay Slabzhanin, National Director, Russian Committee of Children’s Villages – SOS Moscow, Russia
Zilia Malysheva, Director of PRIDE project,
Elvira Savinova, Coordinator of PRIDE project, elvira.savinova@sos-dd.org
Marina Golovina, Coordinator of Foster Family project, mv_gol@mail.ru