The National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NFPCC) The National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NFPCC) www.sirotstvo.ru Annual Report 2008-2009 Annual Report 2008-2009 The National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NFPCC) Papa, Mama, and Me by Varya Shapaeva NFPCC Annual Report 2008–2009 Contents About the Foundation 5 From the President 7 Foundation Projects and Programs Regional programs and projects to protect children and prevent child abandonment 9 Networks to protect children and prevent child abandonment 22 Research and scholarship 25 Public outreach and book publishing 27 Contributing to the development and implementation of the state child welfare policy 28 by Elena Panchenko The dynamics of development 31 Foundation Partners 33 Granny’s Stories Financial Report 35 NFPCC Annual Report 2008–2009 About the Foundation The National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NFPCC) is a Russian non-profit organization founded in 2004 by prominent Russian specialists who have been working with children and fami- lies at risk both medically and socially since the late 1980s. The mission of the Foundation is to ensure children’s rights by im- proving the quality of assistance to children and families and working to provide every child with all he or she needs for a full and fulfilling life. Today the Foundation’s priority is to assist state organizations lower the rate of child abandonment in Russia. The Foundation implements projects and provides services to make state systems more effective and efficient, improve the qualifica- tions of child welfare specialists, and develop innovative approach- es to aid children and families. This report describes the activities of the National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children from January 2008 through June 2009. 4 My Family by Alyosha Ivanov 5 NFPCC Annual Report 2008–2009 From the President Marina Egorova, President of the NFPCC to be broadly implemented, social services must incorporate a new, systematic approach to child abandonment preven- tion, as well as master new methods and techniques for train- ing of professionals. The National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has celebrated its fifth anniversary. But for much longer — since 1999 — the Foundation’s specialists have been developing models of social services for families, programs to prevent child abandonment, methods of working with special-needs children, and ways to train child welfare In recent years there has been a sea change in Russian specialists. social policy: The Russian government is focusing its efforts on solving the problem of child abandonment. Moreover, Given the current state of the Russian welfare system, the problem of child abandonment is no longer understood the Foundation’s main priority at the regional level is helping narrowly as the task of improving the lives of children who state organizations design programs to prevent child aban- have already been abandoned by their parents. Today the guid- donment and rehabilitate children. At the federal level, our ing principle of the country’s demographic policy at the federal main priority is contributing to the development of national level is the prevention of child abandonment. Now the empha- protocols and standards of quality for child welfare services. by Maxim Kovalsky sis is on preventing situations that lead to child abandonment, that is, working with families in crisis. Families at risk of child In 2008 and 2009, the National Foundation for the abandonment are now at the heart of social work. Prevention of Cruelty to Children provided expertise, consultations, project development assistance and pro- This trend is already being reflected in regional programs fessional services to Russian regions. We hope to con- My Friend Kolka to support families. However, in order for these programs tinue and expand this work in the future. 7 NFPCC Annual Report 2008–2009 Foundation Projects and Programs Regional programs and projects to protect children and prevent child abandonment Assistance to Russian Orphans Under this mission, the program’s goals are to: — contribute to the reform of the Tomsk oblast child welfare system; — develop national protocols and standards for child welfare services; — promote innovative methods to prevent child The mission of the Assistance to Russian Orphans abandonment in Russian regions; Program (ARO) is to curb the unprecedented increase in child — prevent HIV in a program of social adaptation for young abandonment in Russia by ensuring that all children without adults leaving orphanages and other young people at risk, and exception live in a family without abuse or neglect. The pro- provide social support for HIV-positive women with children; gram encourages non-profit and state organizations at ev- — facilitate program institutionalization. ery level to reform the child welfare system in the Russian Federation. Work on this program began in 1999. At present, In Tomsk, partner organizations are institutionalizing the the NFPCC is implementing the third phase of work together innovative services and management systems developed dur- with the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) ing previous phases of the program. The main partner of the NF- with support from the United States Agency for International PCC in Tomsk, the Department of Children and Family Issues, is Development (USAID). Under this program, work to develop carrying out the program under the auspices of a decree by the innovative services, methods and models to prevent child governor of Tomsk “On the creation of a system to prevent child abandonment is being carried out in the regions of Tomsk, abandonment in Tomsk oblast.” The main activities are devel- Novosibirsk, Tambov, Altai, Khabarovsk, and in the city oping, pre-testing, and institutionalizing service standards. of St. Petersburg. Several standards guidelines were developed and pre-tested in Little Helpers by Ksyusha Zuykova 8 Assistance to Russian Orphans Program (ARO) 9 Foundation Projects and Programs Regional programs and projects NFPCC Annual Report 2008–2009 Early identification of families in crisis helps keep children in their homes and provides Tomsk is serving as a venue to disseminate the oblast’s experience in introducing the families with the social and psychological counseling necessary to rehabilitate innovative child welfare services to other Russian regions the families and protect children’s rights and interests Tomsk from 2007 to 2009, including “Supporting guardian and regional Department of Children and Family Issues to retrain Comprehensive support in educational and social and Khabarovsk. Services are provided in orphanages and vo- foster families,” “Supporting children in an educational setting specialists at the Department’s institutions. environments for children and adolescents at risk cational schools, where trained specialists help young people (“social living rooms”),” “Supporting children in a social setting develop independent living skills. (“rehabilitative leisure”). All the guidelines were approved by di- Due to the joint efforts of the NFPCC and the Tomsk re- In the regions of Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, innovative rectives from the Department of Children and Family Issues. At gional authorities, the child welfare system in the region has services are being introduced to rehabilitate children and ado- present, they are being reviewed by a group of specialists from nearly completed its reform process. The region is now rolling lescents who have found themselves in difficult life situations. Introduction of services to support foster the NFPCC and the Department, and then will be signed into law out its experience in innovative child welfare services to other These services are offered in public schools (social living and adoptive families at the oblast level. Russian regions. There are eight internship sites that provide rooms, tutors, rehabilitative services); libraries (social clubs); methodological, supervisory, and educational support in the and in supplemental educational institutions (rehabilitative This is an extremely important aspect of child abandon- Overall, development and implementation of innovative areas of early intervention for children with developmental leisure). The process to introduce these services is lengthy ment prevention, which ensures a child’s right to live in a service programs in the Tomsk region is proceeding at a rapid problems, family placement of orphans, support in the school and involves work with the local administrations, project com- family. These services, established at orphanages, boarding pace. In 2008–2009, services were either developed or ex- system for children from families in crisis, early identifica- petitions, educational activities and supervision, as well as institutions, and other organizations, provide professional panded at more than 40 institutions. Services initiated under tion of at-risk families, and provision of services for disabled special workshops to prepare trainers who can then support training and support to foster parents. They increase the the project continued after funding ceased. Under the re- children in rural areas. the expansion of these services throughout the region. More number of children taken in by families who will care for them gional system to arrange family placement of orphans, which than 150 specialists have been trained in this area. and lower the risk of a