The “Parent” Children in Organizations for Orphans

The article presents an analysis of the monitoring results of the situation related to the temporary placement of children with parents (legal representatives) in organizations for orphans in 2018-2021, provided by the Department of State Policy in the field of Protection of Children’s Rights of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The target group was the category of children who are in organizations for orphans and children left without parental care on full state support, children who were transferred by their parents voluntarily and temporarily for up to one year due to different life circumstances. They are invisible to the public, since parental rights do not cease, and parents must take part in the upbringing of their children, but information about them is practically not included in any form of state statistics. The article analyzes the grounds for temporary placement of children, the average period of temporary stay, the list of services provided by organizations to legal representatives and children, the number of children returned to parents (other legal representatives), the number of children left in organizations at the end of their stay, and monitoring the reasons for abandonment, provides information on the amount of funds (by budget levels) allocated for the maintenance of this category of children. The data are presented for organizations for orphans located in the field of education, social protection and healthcare. The consequences of temporary institutionalization for the psychological development of children and the role of parents in the return of the child home are evaluated. 85 subjects of the Russian Federation took part in the Monitoring, who filled out an electronic form of executive authorities exercising powers of guardianship in relation to minors. Monitoring has shown that the majority of families who have placed a child in an organization for orphans have a difficult financial situation, are often in a socially dangerous situation, due to intra-family conflict, illness, disability of legal representatives, undergoing treatment of parents for alcohol or drug addiction; finding a legal representative under investigation.