About the Center
The Ridni Center for social support of children and families is a municipal institution established in 2020 by the Lviv City Council in partnership with the Ridni Foundation.
It is one of the first facilities in Ukraine to provide comprehensive social protection for children deprived of parental care, orphans, and children in difficult life circumstances. The Center functions as a support institution where a child can reside temporarily while their family overcomes a period of crisis.
History: from need to solution
The Ridni Center was created in response to the growing number of family-type children’s homes in the community by 2019 and the need for high-quality guidance for children transitioning into family-based care. The lack of systemic support at this stage often hindered children’s adaptation and created significant challenges for parents.
The primary goal of the Center is to provide the child with certainty. Within nine months, specialists must resolve a difficult dilemma: whether it is possible to return the child to their biological family or if it is necessary to find a new family to welcome them. — Volodymyr Frydrak, Head of the Children’s Services Department of the Lviv City Council.
Our activities
The Center focuses on providing professional psychological and social support to children and their families. This approach facilitates a child’s adaptation to a family environment, strengthens family bonds, and aids in the reintegration of the child into the family.
The Center operates through two departments: Family Support Service and Emergency Child Placement. Their combined efforts ensure temporary residence, social protection, and the determination of the future path for children (from birth to 18 years old) who find themselves without parental care. Specialists from both departments work in sync, exchanging information and guiding the interaction between the child and parents or legal representatives, always prioritizing the best interests of the child.
Key areas of support
- Care and upbringing: Providing conditions as close to a family environment as possible.
- Transition preparation: Helping children adapt psychologically for reintegration into biological families or placement in new family-based care.
- Crisis support: Assisting families in difficult circumstances and supporting graduates of residential care institutions.
- Parental counseling: Advising adults on childcare, upbringing, and fostering harmonious relationships with their children.
- Family guidance: Providing social support to guardians, adoptive parents, foster parents, and candidates for these roles.
- Legal protection: Representing the child’s interests in government bodies and organizations.
Impact and results
Over five years of operation, the Center has achieved the following:
- 40% of children were successfully reunited with their biological families.
- 60% of children had their legal status and future family placement determined within the nine-month period.
- Children who completed their stay at the Center continue to receive long-term support and follow-up guidance within their families.
The Ridni Center is a place where a child receives more than just temporary protection; they receive a chance for a stable future in a family. Every day, our specialists work to ensure that every child feels safe, supported, and ready to move forward with confidence.
