Deinstitutionalization

Together with our partners, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Ministry of Health, we are working to ensure that as many children as possible grow up in loving and caring families rather than in institutions.

To support this goal, the “A Family for Every Child” programme was established. It aims to help children reconnect with their biological parents or find a new family, provide timely support to families facing crises, and develop alternative forms of family-based care, including adoption, guardianship and foster care.

In other words, the programme promotes deinstitutionalization by creating the conditions for children to live and grow up in families rather than in residential institutions.
The work is carried out through a case management approach, in which specialists, or case managers, assess the challenges that have put a family in a difficult situation. These may include low income, parental unemployment, strained family relationships or other difficulties. They then provide tailored support to parents, such as advice on available social benefits, assistance with finding employment, or referrals to professional psychologists. As a result, children can remain with their families rather than being separated from them.

To help children who cannot remain with their biological families find a new family, we strengthen alternative family-based care options, including adoption, guardianship and trusteeship, foster families, and family-type children’s homes. We also develop guidance for foster parents and train social workers from socio-pedagogical centres and other institutions on how to support and work with foster families.

Deliverables

41 children found their families in 2021 under the Family for Every Child pilot program launched in the Gomel Oblast. 

In 2022, the programme was expanded to the Vitebsk Region. Results achieved by the programme between 2022 and 2025 include:

• 360 children transitioned out of residential care institutions: 138 children returned to their biological parents, who received comprehensive support and were able to overcome the challenges they faced. 83 children were adopted, while another 139 found care and stability in guardianship families.
• The needs of 700 families raising children with disabilities were assessed. This helped identify families’ specific needs and risks and develop comprehensive support plans to help them overcome crises while enabling children to remain with their families.
• Specialized equipment for a mobile resource room was purchased to provide rehabilitation and developmental support to families raising children with disabilities in the Orsha, Dokshitsy and Lepel districts, as well as in Vitebsk.
• 255 education, health and social protection professionals received training in case management and the fundamentals of communicating with families experiencing crisis situations. Intersectoral teams involving more than 20 professionals were established. This approach enables a more comprehensive assessment of families’ needs and helps identify effective measures to support them in overcoming crises.
• 171 biological and foster parents participated in training sessions on appropriate care for children with disabilities. A total of six training sessions were held.
• Innovative forms of family support were introduced, including individualized intersectoral case management, in-home respite care for parents of children with severe disabilities, and remote consultations with specialized professionals.
  
  And these are more than just numbers! Behind each one is the future of a child, a future we have helped change for the better by giving them the opportunity to grow and thrive in a family.