Belarus Helps Keep At-Risk Children With Their Families

Belarusian child welfare specialists discuss investigation procedures in a family-centered approach in child protection.
Belarusian child welfare specialists discuss investigation procedures in a family-centered approach to child protection at a USAID-funded training.
Elena Karpenko, ChildFund International
Child welfare specialists learn new approach to improve home life
“Our aim was to bring positive changes by engaging and partnering with the family. We continued supporting this family to sustain the achieved results.”

Oct. 2014—In Belarus, over 20,000 children are members of at-risk families. Their parents struggle to comply with responsibilities that include addressing their children’s basic needs and providing proper supervision. Exposure to abuse and neglect early on adversely affects children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development.

Growing up in a dysfunctional environment often results in psychological trauma and developmental delays. For many years, removing children from at-risk families and placing them in an orphanage was a preferred response from the local child welfare system.

Since 2005, USAID has focused on promoting at-home family care in Belarus and introducing the family-centered approach to child protection services to prevent placing children into institutions for extended periods of time. The family-centered approach promotes child safety and well-being by providing services that engage, strengthen and support the entire family to address the roots of abuse or neglect.

One case is that of Vera* and her daughter Masha. In her childhood, Vera had been deprived of parental support because her mother was imprisoned and she was raised by her grandmother along with her sister. As a result of casual sex, Vera became a teenage mom at the age of 17. To make ends meet, the young mother dropped out of school and took on several jobs. Some years later, she met Oleg, who became a father to Masha.

Vera tried to be a good mother, although, with a family history of alcoholism, she started drinking to cope with stress. By the time Masha was 11 years old, the family unit became a hotbed of alcoholism and both Vera and Oleg lost their jobs. When drunk, Vera was aggressive, and Masha, who was strongly attached to her mother, suffered tremendously. She was under constant stress and could not cope with school.

The dysfunction drew the attention of the child welfare specialists from a local social welfare center. Fortunately, the specialists had participated in a USAID-sponsored training on child protection using the family-centered approach. The training gave the specialists the knowledge and skills necessary to detect and report on signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, to run a comprehensive family assessment, and to provide tailored rehabilitation support including safety provision services. After assessing the situation, the child welfare specialists were concerned about Masha’s well-being and temporarily placed her in a shelter.

As a result of the family assessment, the specialists identified the root causes of Vera’s systemic alcohol abuse. Due to a neglected childhood, an early accidental pregnancy and a lost job, Vera had very low self-esteem and underdeveloped social skills necessary for making positive parental decisions. The negative parenting patterns from her childhood had shaped her own parenting practices. The child welfare specialists also identified the family’s strengths and resources.

Together with Vera and Oleg, the specialists developed a family reunion action plan and provided psychological assistance to the couple, created a support program, and helped them restore distant family contacts. The parents joined an at-risk family support group. They also learned about the consequences of child abuse and neglect as well as the importance of safety and consistency for the healthy development of children. They quit drinking, got new jobs, and developed a relationship of trust, respect and open communication.

After a period of stability, child welfare returned Masha to the custody of her parents. Soon after returning, Masha became more cheerful and confident, and her grades also started to improve.

“Our aim was to bring positive changes by engaging and partnering with the family. We continued supporting this family to sustain the achieved results,” said the director of the child welfare center.

Masha’s family is in a safe place today. Her parents have kept their jobs and continue working together to address family concerns in a responsible way. Masha, now 15, is a kind and sociable teen. Everyone around her can see her caring nature for other children, and she says that she wants to become a teacher.

Since 2005, USAID has trained close to 10,000 child welfare specialists as well as medical and educational professionals on internationally recognized methodologies and techniques of child protection, including practical skills for dealing with child abuse and neglect. Specialists from 174 communities of Belarus have started using these methodologies in their work. They have already supported over 13,000 children in the country.

*Names have been changed or withheld to protect privacy.

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