CANCELLED - Open lecture by Meri Kulmala (University of Helsinki): Childhood and institutional care in and after socialism

Russia ranks among the first in the world when it comes to the number of children left without parental care. The Russian child protection system has been criticized for its inability to support families at risk and its orientation toward alternative care – in large care institutions. The dominance of institutional care dates back to the Soviet-era ideal of collective care and upbringing. Yet, recent policy initiatives strive to ‘deinstitutialise’ Russia’s alternative care system by promoting care in families, which brings Russia into line with the global trend. The current reform represents a paradigm shift in Russian child welfare. In her lecture, Dr. Kulmala will draw on the findings of the international interdisciplinary research project, led by her, to discuss the ideational and institutional change in Russian child welfare from the Soviet-rooted system to child rights based approach.