In a large family: adoptive parents will receive up to 300 thousand rubles at a time

The maximum amount of benefits for the adoption of infants can reach 294 thousand rubles, depending on the size of the salaries of adoptive parents, economists have calculated. The extent to which such measures stimulate the growth in the number of adoptions was discussed with Izvestia experts.

Extension of measures

The allowance is calculated according to the average daily earnings, the calculations given by the economist were carried out according to the size of average salaries. For the adoption of one baby, up to 187 thousand rubles can be paid, for the adoption of several — up to 294 thousand rubles. In fact, it is an analogue of the maternity allowance, adapted for adoption. The expert also noted such a measure of support as vacations — when adopting one baby, a vacation of 70 calendar days is required, two or more — 110 days.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation explained to Izvestia that the rules for granting vacations were not updated from September 1, 2025, they were earlier, but all these rules will be extended again from September 1. And they will be valid until September 1, 2031. Izvestia also sent requests to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Energy, but had not received any responses at the time of publication.

— Today, the vector in the field of adoption and foster parenting is absolutely clear: A child should have a family. If it is not possible to stay in a blood family, the task of the state is to support the institution of foster parents. This is important both from the point of view of the child himself — after all, living in a family is always better than in an institution — and from the point of view of the state, since the family system is more efficient and humane, including from a financial point of view. Therefore, the funds are directed directly to the child and his family," Tatyana Butskaya, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood, told Izvestia.

A stimulus or a signal

According to Alla Makarentseva, head of the Laboratory of Demography, Migration and Labor Market Research at the Presidential Academy, the measure will affect a very limited number of citizens.

— The wording about the "allowance" is not entirely correct. We are talking about an analogue of maternity leave with an appropriate level of salary coverage. In the case of adoptions, this is likely to affect a fairly narrow group of adoptive parents — those who "made it" in the first 70 days after the birth of the child. The number of refusals from newborns in Russia is small, and those who get to adoptive parents so quickly are even fewer (1,500 in 2022, I have not seen more recent data). And these are almost always "difficult" categories for adoption, including those related to health," the expert said.

She also noted that the initiative is most likely aimed not so much at encouraging adoptions as at reducing the practice of placing newborns in orphanages.

A moral gesture

Ekaterina Kosareva, Managing partner of the analytical agency VMT Consult, believes that the current state policy in the field of adoption is aimed at removing children from organizations for family education. One of the principles of the deinstitutionalization program is to replace old institutions with a set of new services that will support the family and prevent the need to separate the child from his biological parents.

However, the expert believes that the economic attractiveness of the measure is limited — not everyone is ready to adopt for the sake of a short-term payment.

— The financial factor is certainly important. But adoption is primarily a moral decision. Yes, the support of 200-300 thousand rubles can be an argument in favor of such a step for people who have already considered adoption. But this is not enough for a wide audience. In practice, guarantees of support, access to medicine, psychological help, and legal support are much more important," the analyst explained.

Money alone does not solve the main problems, the expert emphasizes.

— One of the problems in the adoption system is the bureaucratic complexity, the length of registration and the legal vulnerability of adoptive parents. The State should focus on ensuring full legal protection for those who assume such responsibility. Especially when it comes to babies, whose fate can be decided literally in the first weeks after birth, says Ekaterina Kosareva.

In her opinion, it is important that priority should be given not to one-time payments, but to long-term measures such as tax breaks, housing, access to high-quality kindergartens and schools.

Who is responsible and what can be done

The federal level of responsibility for adoption is assigned to the Ministry of Education, as well as to the Ministry of Labor, which oversees payments. Guardianship and guardianship authorities operate at the regional level, and municipalities provide direct support to families.

To increase the attractiveness of adoption, experts interviewed by Izvestia suggest developing training and support programs for adoptive parents, enabling accelerated paperwork for the adoption of infants, creating financial support packages for the first three years of a child's life in the family, and expanding housing subsidy programs for adoptive parents.

Federal guidelines have been set, but the regions have the opportunity to complement the system of support measures, recalls Tatiana Butskaya.

— Taking into account the general progress in the field of family planning and the priorities announced at the federal level, it is safe to say that these issues are completely solvable. The main thing is not to stop moving towards the goal where every child in the country will grow up in a family," she added.

A rare choice

About 12-14 thousand children are adopted in Russia every year. At the same time, the proportion of newborns in this number is minimal. Experts point out that encouraging early adoption is an extremely delicate task. And here, not only motivation is important, but also trust in the system.