In the Vitebsk region, an interdepartmental mechanism for keeping children in families has been successfully established

The adoption of Decree No. 18 on additional measures for state protection of children in dysfunctional families in the Vitebsk region has made it possible to form an interdepartmental mechanism for preserving families, increasing parental responsibility for child-rearing, and preventing social orphanhood. This opinion was expressed at the regional August conference of pedagogical workers by the head of the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Ivan Shchurok, BELTA correspondent reports. BELTA.

Over the six and a half years of the decree's implementation in the Vitebsk region, 28,132 children were recognized as being in a socially dangerous situation, of which 73.6% were removed from it thanks to the assistance provided to children by education workers with the involvement of other services. By decision of the commission for juvenile affairs, 4,122 children were recognized as needing state protection. Of these, 2,363 children (60.2%) were returned to their biological families due to an improved situation. Currently, 200 children from 124 families are undergoing rehabilitation.

"During the period the decree has been in effect, 344 children have been returned to their biological families based on court decisions to restore parents' rights. In this case, we are talking about children who have been social orphans for several years. Thus, the implementation of this document has made it possible to reduce the number of children taken from parents by court decision by 40%, reduce the number of child abandonments by 3 times, and begin to solve the problem of phased closure of boarding schools," said Ivan Shchurok.

He noted that as of today, there are about 4,000 orphans and children left without parental care living in the region. In the first half of the current year, 194 children received this status, which is 45 fewer than in the same period last year. The priority in working with this category of children is given to family upbringing. In the current year, 76.5% of children left without parental care (among the newly identified) were placed in families. In total, 68.3% of orphans and children left without parental care are in family upbringing forms (in 2007, it was 50%). By 2015, it is planned to place 80% of orphaned children in family upbringing forms. At the same time, the region is observing a trend of an increase in the number of children being raised in foster families and family-type orphanages, while the number in guardianship families is decreasing.

Ivan Shchurok emphasized that in implementation of the measures of the National Program for Demographic Security, family-type orphanages are being opened in the regions of the oblast. As of today, 141 children are being raised in 19 such institutions. In the current year, family-type orphanages are being built in Orshansky, Vitebsky, Beshenkovichsky, and Tolochinsky districts.

"The measures taken to introduce new alternative forms of resettlement for orphans and children left without parental care have contributed to the reduction in the number of pupils in boarding institutions. If in 2012, 90 children were sent to orphanages in the oblast, then in the first half of the current year, only 35 children were sent. Therefore, decisions have been made to close the Chernetsky orphanage in the Liozno district and the Opsy auxiliary boarding school in the Braslav district from September 1," said the head of the department.