By Anna Eganyan
The concept of foster families was first introduced in Armenia in the early 2000s when the government, in cooperation with UNICEF, began developing a program to lessen the demand on 24-hour care centers, such as orphanages and boarding schools. There are now around 170 children living in foster families, compared to more than 500 living in government-sponsored orphanages or specialized educational institutions.
Utilizing the foster family model was not just a result of overcrowded institutions but also because foster care has proven to be a viable alternative. In foster families, children ideally receive not only care but also experience living in a family environment. Unlike adoption, a foster child is typically placed with another family on a temporary basis, for example until a crisis in their biological family is resolved.
According to Mira Antonyan, Executive Director of the Child Protection Center foundation, no matter how high the standards are set for institutions, that kind of environment cannot replicate a family atmosphere.
“Growing up in an institution, a child is not prepared to live independently,” she said. “We know of recurring problems where many children who grew up in orphanages, unfortunately, later raise their own children in orphanages. This vicious circle must be broken.”
Foster families are important bridges for children whose biological families are unable to provide proper or safe care for them. Family life for children in a foster family can provide them with healthier psychological development, along with a more secure sense of identity.
“Children who grow up in orphanages clearly stand out in society,” said Anush Aleksanyan, founder of the Together Psychological Center. “Everyone knows that a child lives in an orphanage. This increases the likelihood and potential for stigmatization. Also, the child’s self-perception of their situation becomes much deeper and more complex. In this regard, there are far fewer complications in a foster family.”
If the issues within the child’s biological family are not improving and a child needs to be away from them for longer, legal actions, such as the rejection or termination of parental rights, are employed. If it is determined there are sufficient grounds for the child to be adopted, then the foster parents are encouraged to do so.
“I would happily adopt, if not for the legal obstacles,” said one such foster parent Knarik Esayan. “I would adopt because a foster parent and an adoptive parent are very different.”
Esayan describes the need to annually renew the foster contract, knowing that the biological mother has the right to reclaim the children. “I prepare both myself and the children for the possibility that she might come one day. They know that they also have another mother. If she comes for them, I will give them to her, but with great pain.”
Through the joint efforts of government authorities and public organizations, the practice of fostering is gradually growing. However, children with various development challenges, health issues, and disabilities are taken into care much less often, though work is being done toward that issue as well.
“We do have examples where a parent has taken in a child with a disability,” said Antonyan. “It’s most beneficial when the foster care program is developed in such a way that it allows foster parents to have accessible support services nearby to meet the child’s needs.”
The state provides financial assistance to foster families, while foundations and various organizations offer cultural events and programs for the children. Legislative changes are being prepared, with support from groups like UNICEF. They are meant to improve Armenia’s child protection system and ensure it operates effectively across the country.
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