A quarter of children are in orphanages and shelters in the Russian Federation unreasonably
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- A quarter of children are in orphanages and shelters in the Russian Federation unreasonably


According to the results of the All-Russian inspection of the system of prevention of social orphanhood, it turned out that 25% of children are in orphanages and shelters unreasonably. This was announced by Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova at a meeting with Vladimir Putin on June 2. She explained that in some cases, proper assistance was not provided to families or sufficient measures were not taken to place the child in a substitute family. But during the inspection period — from July 2024 to April 2025 - the simultaneous presence of children in orphanages and shelters decreased by 10.2%.
What was discussed at the meeting
Maria Lvova-Belova informed Vladimir Putin about the completion of the All-Russian inspection of the social orphanhood prevention system. The inspection was carried out in 1.5 thousand institutions in all 89 regions of the country. During the 10 months of the inspection, the simultaneous presence of children in orphanages and shelters decreased by 10.2% — from 60,061 to 53,900 children.
"There were a lot more children during the year, so this is a one-time stay. So, of course, they came, worked, and returned. And only with our personal participation, more than 7 thousand children returned to their blood families," Lvova—Belova emphasized.
At the same time, 25% of children are in orphanages and shelters unreasonably, the commissioner said. According to her, it was enough for many families to provide assistance without separation from the child. Or, insufficient measures were taken to place the child in a substitute family, which is why they ended up in orphanages and shelters, Maria Lvova-Belova noted. "It's a big number. A quarter," the president responded.
Thanks to the legal assistance of the regional commissioners, 430 families were restored to parental rights and reunited in three months of 2025. "For comparison, last year, the whole year, there were 800 across the country, and this is in three months. This is just the beginning, because there really is potential there," the Ombudsman said.
Vladimir Putin supported Maria Lvova-Belova's proposal to create an All-Russian family assistance service in the country. According to the Ombudsman, today in the Russian Federation there is a lack of coordination of this activity, since both the orphanage, the orphanage, and the children's homes are supervised by different departments. For example, even children from the same family can be assigned to social institutions under the jurisdiction of different ministries.
"Everyone sees the results and understands that coordination of this work is necessary. And I am sure that if we continue this work further, by 2030 we will reduce by half [the number of] children in orphanages through a family—friendly approach," Maria Lvova-Belova emphasized.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»