Orphanage

This article is about the institution. For other uses, see Orphanage (disambiguation).

Plaque where once stood the ruota ("the wheel"), the place to abandon children at the side of the Chiesa della Pietà, the church of an orphanage in Venice. The plaque cites on a Papal bull by Paul III dated 12 November 1548, threatens "excommunication and maledictions" for all those who – having the means to rear a child – choose to abandon him/her instead. Such ex-communication may not be canceled until the culprit refunds all freights incurred to raise the baby.
Former Jewish orphanage in Berlin-Pankow
Sofianlehto Orphanage from 1930 in Helsinki, Finland
St. Nicholas Orphanage in Novosibirsk, Russia

An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusive. There may be substance abuse or mental illness in the biological home, or the parent may simply be unwilling to care for the child. The legal responsibility for the support of abandoned children differs from country to country, and within countries. Government-run orphanages have been phased out in most developed countries during the latter half of the 20th century but continue to operate in many other regions internationally. It is now generally accepted that orphanages are detrimental to the emotional wellbeing of children, and government support goes instead towards supporting the family unit.

A few large international charities continue to fund orphanages, but most are still commonly founded by smaller charities and religious groups.[1] Especially in developing countries, orphanages may prey on vulnerable families at risk of breakdown and actively recruit children to ensure continued funding. Orphanages in developing countries are rarely run by the state.[1][2] However, not all orphanages that are state-run are less corrupted; the Romanian orphanages, like those in Bucharest, were founded due to the soaring population numbers catalyzed by dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, who banned abortion and birth control and incentivized procreation in order to increase the Romanian workforce.[3]

Today's residential institutions for children, also described as congregate care, include group homes, residential child care communities, children's homes, refuges, rehabilitation centers, night shelters, and youth treatment centers.

  1. ^ a b "How to fix orphanages". The Spectator. UK. 8 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  2. ^ Little Princes, Conor Grennan
  3. ^ Media, American Public. "American RadioWorks - Rewiring the Brain". americanradioworks.publicradio.org.