Foster child and family: finding support prioritie

Context and relevance. Family-based care for children is a priority for Russian state policy, despite positive trends in deinstitutionalisation. However, systemic issues with supporting foster families remain. The relevance of our study stems from a contradiction between the importance of placing children in families and the lack of effectiveness of existing support systems, which often fail to consider the dynamics of the whole family as a unit, hindering successful integration. Objective. This study aims to highlight the importance and shortcomings of fostering family support through a systemic approach, analyzing support practices in Moscow. Hypothesis. The central hypothesis of our research is that the main problem lies in a fragmented, child-centred approach to support, which ignores the foster family as part of a system undergoing change, reducing the effectiveness of integration and adaptation. Methods and materials. Our research consists of two parts: the first involves constructing a systemic understanding of the fostered child and substitute family, while the second compares declared support policies with real-life experiences of families through analysis of data from foster parent communities (the "Change One Life Foundation") and interviews with foster parents themselves. Results. Analysis reveals that current support systems (psychologists, social workers, school psychologists etc.) are formal and fragmented, focusing primarily on the child, duplicating the functions of guardians, and ignoring the need for working with the whole family system. This leads to isolation of the child within the family, increasing systemic tensions. Conclusions. To improve support effectiveness, we need a shift towards a comprehensive system working with foster families as a whole, involving close collaboration between state agencies, educational institutions and NGOs. This would require a shift in mindset from control to partnership, empowering foster families to actively participate in overcoming challenges.