The Foster Family as a Means of Promoting Social Inclusion of Older People in the Russian North

Abstract

The ageing population of the Arctic is changing demand for health and social care systems. In Russia, the growing number of older people risk social isolation, particularly in rural northern areas characterised by a remote location and out-migration of younger people and care professionals to larger cities, resulting in lower availability and quality of care services for older people. Remaining community contacts have become a good resource in meeting the needs of older people sin rural areas of Arctic Russia lacking institutional forms of support. In this chapter, we introduce the innovative foster family programme, which pairs lonely old people with foster families, as an alternative form of care provision. The main case study is Arkhangelsk in the Russian Arctic, which is characterised by geographical remoteness, rurality and “northerness”.

Appendix 6.1 Algorithm for Creating a Foster Family for the Older People in the Arkhangelsk Region

Who can create a family for the older person?	An adoptive family can be organised by an adult legal citizen who is an Arkhangelsk region resident, wishes to take the obligations of living together and managing a joint household with a person(s) in need of social services, and agrees to provide the mentioned person with social services in accordance with the foster family contract.
Who can be taken to the foster family for the older person?	A lonely resident in old age (women over 55, men 60) or a disabled person who is an Arkhangelsk region resident and in need of social services in connection with a partial or complete loss of the ability to fulfil their needs independently, due to limitation of the ability to self-service and movement.
Where to apply to organise a foster family for an older person?	An adult citizen who has expressed a desire to create a foster family should apply to the social services centre at their place of residence.
What documents need to be provided to create a foster family for an older person?	(1) Written application;
	(2) Copies of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or other identity document confirming residence in the Arkhangelsk region.
	(3) Copies of documents confirming the family composition (birth certificate, marriage certificate, court decision on recognition as a family member etc.
	(4) A copy of the financial account from the place of residence.
	(5) Information on family income for the last three calendar months preceding the month of application; medical certificate of the absence of chronic alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, quarantine infectious diseases, active forms of tuberculosis, severe psychiatric disorders, venereal and other diseases requiring treatment in specialist medical organisations; and a certificate that the person who has expressed a desire to organise a foster family is not a bacteria or virus carrier.
	(6) Documents on the right of ownership or use of a dwelling in which the person who has expressed the desire to organise a foster family lives and information on the total area of the dwelling.
	(7) Written consent of all adult family members, including temporarily absent family members, to live together with a person in need of social services .
	If needed, the workplace of the person who wishes to organise a foster family can be asked about their characteristics.
Interaction with the social services centre	All documents are registered by a specialist at the local social services centre. The specialist examines and verifies the completeness and reliability of the required documents. Then the specialist carries out a survey of social and living conditions for people in need of social services and those who have expressed a desire to organise a foster family.
	The employees of the centre, together with the psychologist, provide psychological training for those who have expressed a desire to organise a foster family.
Documents regulating the creation of a foster family for an older person	A decision is made on creating a foster family agreement after receiving written consent from an older person and a person who has expressed a desire to organise a foster family. The parties to such an agreement shall be notified of the decision taken within five working days from the date of the decision.
	The foster family agreement is concluded between social services centre, the person who has expressed a desire to organise a foster family and a person in need of social services no later than 5 days from the decision on the possibility of concluding a foster family contract. The foster family contract can be terminated on the grounds provided for by civil law or foster family contracts.
Payment of social services	The social services centre makes payment for social services provided by the person who organised the foster family on the basis of the foster family agreement and the social services specified in the agreement. The amount of payment to the person who organised the foster family is 4358 roubles per month (2017) in the Arkhangelsk region ). It varies in the regions: 2500 rubles in Voronezh region in 2016 to 9868 roubles in Khanty-Mansu autonomous area, and 16,743 roubles in Sakha Yakutia. There may be increments if the older person has a disability or if more than one person is fostered per family.

1. Modified in Ghiga and Golubeva (2018)