In Lithuania an era closed: in December 2024 the last orphanages located in the districts of Šakiai, Kupiškis and Kaunas ceased the activity. The children welcomed in these structures have been transferred to family homes or in community apartments, environments closer to daily life and capable of hosting small groups of minors. This choice is part of a long process of deistication started in 2014, which has gradually replaced the large institutes with smaller reception solutions and oriented towards the emotional well -being of minors.
According to the minister of social security and work Inga Ruginienė, it is one of the most relevant transformations in the country’s social policy. Over 3,500 children lived in the orphanages in 2014, today instead the reception takes place mainly in foster families and community structures. The declared objective is to guarantee that “Each child grows up in a family“, Through a strengthening of social services, crisis centers and the support network intended for foster parents.
The importance of foster families
In recent years, custody centers have been created and professional guardians, both permanent and temporary and temporary guardians. Today there are 177 family homes that welcome over a thousand children, while about 6,000 minors without parents already grow in foster families or with guardians. Living in a house with few children offers more individual attention, helps the development of social skills and promotes a more stable growth path.
The closure of the last orphanage marks a crucial turning point that allows children to feel part of a community and not an institution. In this way, minors should no longer live in large isolated structures, but grow in environments close to real society. This approach, started ten years ago, today represents a model for the protection of childhood.
At the moment only a few specialized centers for children with disabilities remain active who need special medical care. However, the direction is clear: to minimize the permanence of minors in the institutes and guarantee everyone the opportunity to live in a safe family context, with the support of proper guardian and services.
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