Government backs bill to establish new family-based care as foster families starting in 2027
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a draft law to strengthen child protection mechanisms and ensure children’s right to family-based care, according to the government portal.
Illustrative by PixabayThe draft law, titled “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Improvement of Child Protection Mechanisms and Ensuring Children’s Right to Family-Based Care,” seeks to clearly define the responsibilities of state and local authorities, guardianship authorities and child welfare services.
The legislation would strengthen oversight of children’s rights, establish staffing and operational standards for child welfare services, and introduce a system of continuous professional development for their personnel.
It would also establish a 24-hour emergency response mechanism, enabling child welfare services to respond to reports of children in danger or in need of urgent assistance.
The bill further seeks to strengthen safeguards for a child’s right to grow up in a family environment. It would establish procedures for placing children abandoned in medical facilities, update the process for removing children whose lives or health are at risk, and reinforce guarantees that children’s views are taken into account when decisions affecting them are made.
The legislation also proposes significant changes to the development of family-based care. Beginning in 2027, all newly established family-based care arrangements would be created as foster families, while existing family-type children’s homes would continue operating.
The bill also provides for the creation of specialised foster families for children requiring specialised care or living conditions. It would review the maximum number of children who may be placed in a foster family and provide additional support, including appropriately equipped housing and the option of caregiver assistance.
In addition, the legislation would regulate the operation of the Unified Information System “Children,” designate parental correction programs as a basic social service, and formally establish child protection centres, where children would receive comprehensive support from multidisciplinary teams.
According to the government, the bill would mark an important step toward building a modern child protection system aligned with European standards.
To provide background, in 2024, Ukraine adopted the Strategy for Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Grow Up in a Family Environment for 2024-2028, which aims for 95% of orphans and children deprived of parental care to be raised in family settings by 2028, while reducing the number of children in institutional care by 30%. Deinstitutionalisation is one of Ukraine’s commitments under its European Union accession process.
As previously reported, Ukraine has launched training for specialists who will provide a new social service known as “Family Home,” caring for orphans and children deprived of parental care in settings designed to replicate a family environment.
ZMINA previously reported that orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine can be placed in several forms of family-based care to prevent institutionalisation. Guardianship and custody remain the most common arrangement.
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