Child Welfare in Russia
Lanny Endicott
http://drlannyendicott.com.tripod.com
Adoptions
Some Adoption Numbers
• Over the past two decades the US has been
the major recipient of Russian children
• Only China and Ethiopia have sent more
• In the recent 5 years adoption of Russian
children has declined – 5,878 (2004) to 1,586
(2009)
• Over 60,000 Russian children have been
adopted by American families
US Adoption of Russian Children
•
•
•
•
•
•
2009—1,586
2008—1,861
2007—2,310
2006—3,706
2005—4,639
2004—5,878
(BICIS Immigration Statistics)
Profile of Adopted
Children
• 46% - female
• 4% - under 1 year
• 75% - 1 – 4 years of age
• As US adoption rate has declined, Russian
adoption rate of Russian children has
increased nearly proportionally
(Boris Altshuler – Right of the Child)
• Russians families experience nearly an 80%
failure rate in adoptions
(Katya Celeno – Orphans Tree)
• Or, 8500 adoptive families returned their
children
(Altshuler – Right of the Child)
Russian Adoption Rules
• Parental age: no age restriction for adoptive
parents – except that prospective single
parents must be 16 years older than the child
being adopted
• Family status: no rules about length of
marriage or number of children in the
household
• Singles are permitted to adopt
• Travel: usually two trips are required – though
many families make three – one parent can
make the first trip, both required for the
second
• Estimated cost: $30,000 to $40,000
• Estimated time: from completion of
application to adoption referral (6 to 18
months) – may be shorter for a boy
Orphan Care
• There are some 650, 000 children in the child
welfare system
– 165,000 living in orphanages
– 300,000 living in guardianships
– 150,000 are adopted but still considered orphans until
they turn 18
– 400,000 in kinship and foster homes
• 90% of orphans considered “social orphans” –
with at least one parent living
(Altshuler)
Orphanage Categories
• “Parental Orphans”: parents leave their
children with the state to get their lives
together – parents may visit – most abandon
their children to the state (200,000 children)
• Corrective Institutions: 108,000 children
placed in these institutions for health
problems (children have parents)
• Mentally Retarded Children:
– Those under 4 placed in baby orphanages run by
the Department of Health
– Those over 4 are placed in orphanages or homes
for care (29,000) – half from parents who have
given up children to the state
• “Mercy children”: classified as uneducateable,
sent to institution to die (some have called
“death camps”)
(Altshuler)
Russian child welfare system a
$4 Billion USD system
The System
• United Nations Commission for the Rights of
Children (1999) pressured Russia to move
children out of the institutions
• Move children to families (patranot) and assist
vulnerable biological families with social
service resources
• The plan necessitated a new concept for social
workers—building trust with families
• Patranot was cancelled in 2008 along with the
free services provided to biological and
adoptive families
• Number of children in out-of-home care has
since jumped
– 72,012 families lost parental rights in 2009
– 300 children are added daily to the orphan system
– 697,389 total children in the system (2009)
(Janna Danilova – Risk Network)
• Pro-Mama Center (Our Family Program at
Orphanage #19 in Moscow) operated as an
NGO in partnership with the state (15 years) –
state funding cut in 2009
– Provided team approach to helping biological and
adoptive families (psychologist, teacher,
neurologist, doctor, social worker)
– Served 500 children in Moscow Region and 5,000
throughout Russia
– Claimed 5% failure rate with families
(Maria Ternovskaya – Pro-Mama)
Child Welfare Philosophy
• Concept of “back or white”—children totally
belong to the state or totally belong to their
parents
– If belonging to the state they are placed in the
orphan system
– If belonging to the parent (or adoptive parent) the
state provides no resources for their adjustment
(Ternovskaya)
• Before 2007-8, orphanage buildings were
being transformed into service centers for
children – children were being placed in
guardianship, foster, and adoptive homes
– 41 Regions involved in 2007
• Government policy ended the program
making it easier for the state to pick up
children
– Designed to be temporary, shelters became
permanent (2300 shelters became permanent and
doubling the number of orphanages to 4600)
• The “orphanage system” is about power and
money – many have their hands out as it
trickles down to each orphanage
(Alshuler)
• Children have become to the state a “natural
resource like gas and oil”
(Ternovskaya)
• Orphanage system is maintained to care for
at-risk children:
– Returning vulnerable adoptions to the state
– Parents giving up children to the state
(Ternovskaya)
Help from Churches
• Churches in the Ukraine and Russia are
encouraging adoptions and providing help to
adoptive families via educational seminars
and support groups
• In the Ukraine there is the cry: “30,000
churches adopting 30,000 orphans”
• There is the theme: “Today orphans,
tomorrow ours”
• In Russia, the theme: “orphans today, sons
and daughters tomorrow”
• One church in St. Petersburg has adopted over
100 orphans and provided support for
adoptive families
• The pastor of the largest Pentecostal church in
the country (Moscow) has adopted 4 children
and encourages his membership to do likewise
The Need
• Encourage adoption of Russian children by
Russian families
• Provide support and practical resources to
Russian families adopting children – through
churches and other NGOs