Pain of our time

People taking care of children living without parents




There are different variants when a child can feel parental affection, warmth and attention.

• Сustody (guardianship). It’s a kind of family placement for children under 14 living without parental care. Health care, child’s property and education are the guardian’s responsibility. In Russia guardianship is the most popular form of family placement for children living without parental care.


Our teacher of Chemistry told us about her exampe of custody.

Extract from the interview with Vera whose pupil got into the road accident

“Three years ago I was a form-master of the 11th form. And in May one of my pupils Yura got in a serious road accident. At first doctors couldn’t even say if he would be alive or not. His parents had died two years before and his elder brother lived with the family in Australia. But many of us at school, as pupils as teachers, tried to do our best to help him. Some months later Yura became to recover slowly step by step. But he couldn’t live alone. That’s why his friend’s mother became his custodian. It was necessary because he needs constant help. I know that to be a custodian of a disabled person is very difficult and a big responsibility. I always remember that woman with great thanks. There is Yura’s Personal Account Number in a bank and everybody can put money for his recovering”.


• Patronage (protectorship). This is one of the ways of caring of a child when grown-ups not only live with a child, but are employed as teachers of the orphanage where the child has been taken from. They are paid for taking care and upbringing of the child. Patronage is an intermediate form between temporary and permanent family. It’s very important. For example in 2010 in Russia 7000 children were returned to children’s homes.


• Psychologists and volunteers do help with this work. They help with food and accommodation.