Street children in Russia: steps to prevention

This article examines the historical evolution of the development of social policy toward street children in Russia and makes recommendations for prevention. The historical examination begins with the Soviet period, when statistics on social problems were not publicly known. It continues through the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of social welfare Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 27 - 44
Main Authors Balachova, Tatiana N., Bonner, Barbara L., Levy, Sheldon
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2009
Subjects
Child abuse
child abuse and neglect
child maltreatment
Child protection
Child welfare
Children
Children & youth
Homeless people
Poverty
Prevention
Russia
Russian history
Social policy
Social services
Social welfare
street children
Russia
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Summary:This article examines the historical evolution of the development of social policy toward street children in Russia and makes recommendations for prevention. The historical examination begins with the Soviet period, when statistics on social problems were not publicly known. It continues through the post‐Soviet period when there was an emerging awareness about the increasing number of abused, abandoned children and children living on the streets. Etiological factors, such as child maltreatment and parental substance abuse, are then discussed. Based on these etiological factors, the article then proposes a model in which existing institutions and professionals are supported in facilitating an integrated system of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. This includes improving child protection services and interventions to prevent children leaving their homes, early identification of children who are becoming involved in street life and a continuum of care for children who cannot return home.
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-FCP5ZD2K-1
istex:3A88CC7A64C15040242308126C9A6846971F5986
ArticleID:IJSW573
have reported data suggesting a 10‐point correction on WISC interpretations. The tradition of Russian clinical psychology to combine testing with qualitative analyses of responses to experimental tasks and analysis include both test results and ‘pathopsychological investigations’. This helps to overcome the weakness associated with having few reliable tests and provides more reliable psychological evaluations.
Note that most psychological tests have not been fully standardised in Russia. For example, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) of 1949 is still being used in Russia. A Russian version of the scale was prepared in 1973. The sample used was not representative for children of the Soviet Union at that time, and these scales are certainly not appropriate for Russian children at the beginning of the 21st century. Data on the fluctuation of IQ scores over time are not available, and the Flynn effect (the tendency of IQ scores to increase across generations; see Kanaya, Scullin & Ceci, 2003) has not been recognised in Russia. However, psychologists are aware of the discrepancy in diagnostic labels and IQ ranges and several Russian studies
During the Soviet period, the system of care for children who were not in parental care included the following: (i) Police Collection and Distribution Departments (‘Priemnic‐Raspredeiitel’) in each large city; (ii) Infants’ homes (‘Dom Rebyenka’), which were state orphanages for infants 0–3; (iii) Children's homes (‘Dyetskii Dom’ or ‘Internat’) – state orphanages for children aged 4–17; and (iv) Boarding institutions (‘Spets‐Internat’ or ‘Psychoneurological Internat’) for children aged 4–17 who were deemed mentally retarded or had other mental health problems or physical disabilities. At age 18 children from regular children's homes or Internats were graduated to live independently on their own. Graduates from ‘Spets‐Internats’ were typically transferred to institutions for adults. These institutions continue to exist in the post‐Soviet period.
IREX, International Research and Exchanges Board; USAID, US Agency for International Development.
Panasuk, 1973
;
Korobeinikov, 1987
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ISSN:1369-6866
1468-2397
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2397.2008.00573.x