The Child in Care: Results of the Living and Parenting Conditions’ Monitoring of Children in Care and Their Subjective Well-Being in Orphanages

The article is based on an analysis of the results of monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (formerly the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia) between 2018 and 2020: 1 — Monitoring on the compliance of organizations for orphans and children left without parental care with the requirements of Russian Federation Government Resolution No. 481 of 24 May 2014 On the activities of organizations for orphans and children left without parental care and the placement of children in them; 2 — Evaluation of the welfare of children in organizations for children left without parental care. It is shown that in three years there have been significant changes both in the environment external to the foster child and in the sphere of psychological well-being. Unfortunately, the introduction of a lockdown in the children’s home system due to the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow for the ‘net’ impact of the new living and parenting environment on children’s subjective well-being to be identified. Monitoring has made it possible to obtain annual information on the number of orphanages of all types and the number of children in them, which the current official system for collecting information (statistical form D-13) does not allow for. The data obtained made it possible to conduct a comparative analysis of current problems (abuse, bullying, consideration of the child’s opinion, etc.) from the perspective of the administration and the children themselves. The study involved: 443 pre-schoolers, 1825 children aged 7—12, 3398 teenagers over the age of 12. The verified instrument was a psychodiagnostic complex assessing the subjective well-being of orphans. The results of the analysis of the monitoring data revealed objective factors of well-being related to “the duration of children’s stay in the institution”; “creation of favorable conditions of stay close to the family”; “assistance in social adaptation for graduates of organizations for orphans”; “specifics of education and care of orphans and children without parental care, with disabilities” as well as subjective factors related to child satisfaction with their health, safety, well-being in the organization, self-esteem. The significant discrepancies in the formal assessment and subjective opinion of the children obtained allow adjustments to be made to the monitoring toolkit.

On the Needs of Specialists in Guardianship and Trusteeship Bodies for Competence Development and Methodological Support in the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation

The article presents an analysis of the results of monitoring to determine the need to increase the level of competence of specialists of guardianship and guardianship (OOP) (2020), 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. In the context of the constant expansion of the powers of PLO specialists, the importance of special professional and methodological training of specialists of guardianship and guardianship authorities in relation to minors in accordance with the requirements of the professional standard and interdisciplinary competencies is evident. 406 specialists of guardianship and guardianship authorities of 85 subjects of the Russian Federation took part in the study. The analysis of 406 questionnaires of PLO specialists with different work experience in the guardianship and guardianship authorities was carried out. The average age of the PLO specialists who took part in the survey is 40 years. The gender composition of respondents is mainly represented by female specialists (92.2% of women with less than 1 year of work experience and 98.3% with more than 5 years of work experience). Representatives of executive authorities in the field of guardianship and guardianship note the need to update the existing professional standard of a specialist of guardianship and guardianship authorities in accordance with changes in state policy in the field of protection of the rights of minors. The most popular forms of receiving methodological assistance are: participation in training seminars, conferences, round tables, webinars; online consultations with experts. PLO specialists prefer to receive methodological support through telephone consultations, through various Internet resources; in the form of methodological recommendations; supervisors, business games, trainings, advanced training courses. The problem area remains the modern content of training programs, a multidisciplinary approach, and the constant expansion of the competencies necessary for the work of specialists. It is shown that for specialists with different work experience, their own principle of building advanced training programs with different volume and content of training for these categories of specialists should be implemented with the obligatory reliance on the case study.

Features of Assessment of Readiness for Employment of Pupils of Organizations for Orphans with Mental Disabilities

The article presents materials that show how preparation for employment of young people with mental disabilities in adapted workplaces is organized, and how the results of this training are assessed. The study involved 61 people, aged from 14 to 23 years old, 90% of them are pupils and graduates of organizations for orphans. The method of structured participatory observation was used. On the basis of the collected data, an integral indicator of increasing competence in the field of labor relations was calculated. The method of structured participatory observation was used. On the basis of the collected data, an integral indicator of increasing competence in the field of labor relations was calculated. It is noted that the increase in competence in the field of labor relations is associated at a statistically significant level with the passage of an internship at an adapted workplace.

Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid-19): Delayed Consequences for the Prevention of Social Orphanhood

The article presents an expert analysis of the impact of the restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Russia on the situation of families with children and the children, as well as the delayed consequences for the social orphancy system in Russia. The expert assessment is based on the results of sociological surveys of the child protection representatives, their opinion on the impact of the pandemic on the well-being of families with children and children in 9 regions, the analysis of individual organizations for orphans and children left without parental care. The data on the difference in the assessment of the situation of specialists and representatives of the non-profit sector are correlated. Conclusions are drawn about the strengthening of the “medical approach” in assessing the well-being of a child against social and personal needs, the lack of flexibility in organizing the work of the subjects of the orphancy prevention system during restrictive measures, as well as objective limitations of the remote form of providing social services and the unavailability of such services for certain family categories. The research was com- missioned by the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation.

The Negative Impact of the Effects of Coronavirus on the Well-Being of Children and Families Who Are Clients of Child Protection Authorities in Finland

In the spring 2020, the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic quickly spread across Finland, having significant negative consequences for people’s living conditions. On March 16, 2020, the Finnish government declared a state of emergency and imposed several restrictive measures that were in effect until July 16, 2020 [13; 16]. The coronavirus and its aftermath have weakened the resilience of the Finnish welfare state, thereby challenging the welfare state’s ability to protect those most in need of its support. Recent studies have shown that the most vulnerable populations, such as children, are most affected by the negative effects of the pandemic in Finland and worldwide [5; 9; 11; 14; 18]. In autumn 2020, the Central Union for Child Welfare (CUCW) and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) conducted a large-scale survey among the heads of child protection authorities (15.08.—13.10.2020), the aim of which was to find out how the consequences of the coronavirus and government restrictions have affected the well-being of children and their families who are clients of child protection authorities during the fall 2020. This article presents the main results and conclusions of the survey.

Social Adaptation of Orphans and Children left without Parental Care in Substitute Families

The article presents the analyses the «Monitoring results of the subjective well-being of children-in-care» in terms of social adaptation in substitute families (2019). Orphans brought up in foster families are characterized by implicit problems affecting social and school adaptation. Many of them have a long experience of living in a dysfunctional family, in conditions of institutionalization, separation from their parents and untreated psychological trauma. Family upbringing significantly mitigates the effects of mental deprivation, but a number of its consequences affect social and school adaptation. Two research methods were used in the study: a short screening questionnaire (SST) to assess behavior in children and adolescents from 3 to 16 years old (the sample consisted of 340 foster children and 285 substitute parents) and a multidimensional scale of satisfaction with life at school (the sample consisted of 160 junior students, 230 senior students). The questionnaire includes an assessment of the psychological properties of a teenager, both positive and negative and an assessment of the impact of the existing problems of a teenager on different aspects of his social life. The assessment of foster children themselves and parents in relation to borderline cases differ. The Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale is a questionnaire designed to assess the life satisfaction of schoolchildren. A high level of satisfaction is characteristic of relationships in foster parents’ families, and satisfaction with relationships with friends remains constant. In high school, emotional abuse in the form of neglect has significantly decreased — only 28% become victims and only 36% of foster children experience physical violence in the form of blows. It is stated that with the help of a questionnaire and data analysis, the upward trend from elementary school students to high school students has a “sense of security” (from 61% to 70%). The youngest students and older teenagers are the least satisfied with school and relationships with teachers. The conducted research makes it possible to determine the targets of assistance and support to substitute families by specialists of support services. For teachers-psychologists, data on school satisfaction and relationships with teachers should be an important signal about the problems of foster children in an educational institution.

Registers of Practices as an Evidence-Based Social Policy Mechanism for Child Welfare: An Analysis of International Experience

The article analyses the international experience of establishing evidence-based practice registers. Such registers are considered not as a “container” of once and for all selected “best practices”, but as a permanent mechanism of evidence-based social policy. Using the material of registers developed in the USA and the UK, the analysis of the most important structural components of the registers is carried out, with the main focus on the methodology and procedure of practice selection. The authors question the hierarchy of research methodologies and show that experimental design (randomized controlled trials) can be recognized as the “gold standard” of research only under certain conditions — if a linear, simple theory of change is adopted, while the adoption of a complex theory of change requires other research strategies and methods. Based on the analysis, several priority tasks are formulated that need to be addressed in order for the national register of practices being created in Russia to comply with the principles of evidence-based social policy.

The Overview of International Research on the Effects of Being a Child in the Conditions of Institutionalisation: How to Achieve Positive Results

The review is devoted to research in the field of institutionalization of children left without parental care, and aims to determine what improvements can be made to ensure the best result in the development of children in these conditions. The current model of institutionalization based on deprivation, negative factors of development, seems limited and outdated. The results of the research are considered within the framework of the bioecological model of development of W. Bronfenbrenner. The analysis of publications shows that there is convincing evidence that the quality of institutional care at the exosystem level has a significant impact on the well-being of children and provides long-term positive results in the physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional development of the child. The review shows that when institutional care is combined with certain protective factors, it does not always lead to negative consequences in the child’s development. Countries that set higher standards of institutional care for children, and specialists who apply measures that correspond to the identified predictors of full-fledged development, can see that institutional care can be a viable option when adequate care based on a foster family is not possible.

The Main Difficulties in the Activities of the Specialists of the Substitute Family Support Services

The article presents an analysis of the “Monitoring to determine the need to increase the level of competence of specialists of services involved in the training of persons wishing to adopt a child into a family, accompanying substitute families”, 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 article is devoted to the study of difficulties in the activities of specialists of support services for substitute families. Monitoring conducted by the Federal Resource Center for Guardianship and Guardianship of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Center for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Children” revealed problems that are common to all subjects of the Russian Federation. For more precise identification of problem areas in the work of specialists, an additional study was conducted. The target group included 90 specialists of support services (psychologists, social educators) aged from 23 to 56 years, with work experience from 1 to 5 years. The purpose of the study was to describe the difficulties, their typology and the possibility of prevention in the work. A questionnaire based on the method of unfinished sentences was used, adapted for the study and ranking of difficulties. The results made it possible to identify common problems and difficulties for all subjects of the Russian Federation: the lack of a unified position and view on the content, goals and values of support; the lack of standards for the activities of support services in Russia; the diversity of law enforcement practice within the framework of existing legislation; the lack of uniform requirements for the competencies of specialists engaged in this activity. A separate list highlights the problem areas of specialists “in the field” insufficient level of knowledge about the family and children who are accompanied, lack of methodological literature, lack of modern methods of studying children to clarify complex problems, etc. The ways of solving organizational issues of the support services are proposed, contributing to minimizing difficulties and risks, improving the effectiveness of assistance to substitute families, including the development of criteria for choosing the form of support depending on the availability of specialists and resources, attracting volunteers to the work of thematic clubs, communication in social networks and messengers, as part of remote support.