Foster care and adoption in Estonia Overview and

Foster care and adoption in Estonia Overview and challenges Adoption Center NGO Oma Pere (My Own Family) 22 June 2016, Vilnius

Main facts • Population of Estonia – 1, 3 million people. Deinstitutionalisation of children`s homes started in 2004. • Number of children`s homes today: 38 (including 6 villages/youth homes of SOS Children`s Villages). Total number of children in children`s homes is around 1000. • 200 from those 1000 children live in family-like care (SOS Villages), rest of the 800 children live in small group homes (caregivers work in shifts), small part still lives in traditional residential institutions.

Lets look at the numbers first…

Lets dig into these numbers… Children in childrens homes in 2015, age categories 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Age 0 -2 Age 3 -6 Age 7 -12 Age 13 -17 Age 18 -19 Age 20 +

Lets go into these numbers…

First summary There is around 1300 children living in special guardianship families • In 46% of these families there is only one caregiver • 85% of these families are relatives of the children • 15% of these are non-relatives • Research shows that also relatives raising children need support. Vulnerable target group is grandparents raising grandchildren (especially when parental rights of the parents have been terminated due to serious problems – drug and alcohol abuse etc).

Adopted children

Children leaving foster care

Lets go back to the start. . Total of 3200 children and their families + grown up adoptees

Support services NGO Oma Pere - piloting support services in 2013 -2015. In 2016 - establishing support system for all 3 target groups: foster-, adoptive - and special guardianship families: 1. Mentoring (by exprienced adopters and foster carers) 2. Individual psychological counselling (psychologists experienced in working with children without parental care and adoptive families) 3. Group-counselling (for both: people considering adoption and for families raising the children) 4. Telephone and internet counselling

Challenges Many changes in the system at the same time: Ø Ø Ø New Child Welfare Law 1. January 2016 Adoption system being reorganised – centralized 1. January 2017 Foster care system being reorganised – centralized 2017 Support system for families being established 20162017 Assessment process of prospective adoptive and foster families (home-study etc) being renewed

Thank you! Aire Nurm NGO Oma Pere www. omapere. ee info@omapere. ee