Who and how helps families with SOP status return to normal life

The President has repeatedly touched upon the topic of using child benefits. The state allocates considerable sums for them, but not all fathers and mothers spend this money on their sons and daughters. Noting this, ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO emphasized: "Children should not be deprived, and irresponsible parents should be brought to their senses." Correspondents of "7 days" went to Brest region to see how those who spend benefits not on their children, but onALCOHOL .

The number one reason why a family is recognized as having fallen into a socially dangerous situation is drunkenness. Careless parents, knocking back glass after glass, care little that their children are experiencing fear and resentment, are starving and suffering cruelty from those who are supposed to love and protect them. As the President recently noted, society should not be indifferent in such cases, it should react in time and take measures. This is why visiting dysfunctional families is a mandatory item in the work of teachers in schools and kindergartens. If a problem is identified, many services are promptly involved in its solution: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations , the executive committee, HEALTH care and others. Their main goal during raids on dysfunctional families is to make sure that the children are safe. We are going on a raid around the Brest region together with a commission - prosecutors, juvenile inspectors, representatives of the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection, as well as the socio-pedagogical center. By the way, 1,452 families with 3,239 children have been recognized as being in a socially dangerous situation in the region. 226 boys and girls have been taken away from their parents and recognized as needing state protection, says Irina Strapko, HEAD of the Brest Region Prosecutor's Office Department for Supervision of Compliance with Legislation on Minors. During raids this year alone, 16 children recognized as needing state protection were taken from five families. For example, in Ivanovo District, seven children were recently taken from two families by order of the prosecutor's office. They are now in a shelter.

- The reason for the removal of children was their parents' drunkenness and lack of work. At the same time, they shied away from raising them, the house was cold and uncleaned, and the food supply was minimal. The adults lived on the allowance that the state allocates for children, - says Irina Strapko. - At the moment, one of the parents is already working, and two more are undergoing a medical examination and will be employed.

The prosecutor's office also keeps a special eye on families where children are beaten. Every fact is checked. The main task is to identify family problems as early as possible, to help parents who have stumbled start a new life and to do everything possible so that the child stays with them.

The first settlement on our list is the agro-town of Mukhavets, which is 15 minutes' drive from Brest. According to the unspoken rule of raids, we will come to the family without warning. Only in this case can we see the real picture of their life.

We enter Mukhavets closer to evening: at this time it is most likely to find those with whom we need to conduct a preventive conversation at the registered address. And by the way, we still need to find an individual approach to each one. None of the raid participants counts their time: according to the plan - visiting 5-6 families.

The first address. A brand new five-story brick building, the residents of which received the coveted keys just a few years ago. Among them is a mother of seven, Nadezhda. Her family was registered with the SOP in April 2023. The situation is clarified by the DIRECTOR of the State Educational Institution "Socio-Pedagogical Center of the Brest District" Lyudmila Borovik:

- Nadezhda's partner abused alcohol, constant shouting and quarrels in the apartment had a negative impact on the children, so the subjects of prevention immediately intervened in the life of the family. At the moment, the situation has improved significantly: the man got coded, works as a painter in one of the construction companies. The mother, who recently returned from maternity leave, works as a kitchen worker at a local school. She pays due attention to her children. Now there are four minors in the apartment. The adult daughter has been living separately for a long time, two more of Nadezhda's children study at the lyceum, so they live in a dormitory.

After an insistent ring, a mother of many children opens the door. She is not at all surprised by the appearance of the commission on the threshold. She says that she is used to unexpected inspections and is not afraid of them at all, because "there is nothing to hide, and in a small village, you can hardly hide anything from the neighbors' eyes."

- Where is your dad? - Irina Strapko asks.

- At work. I gave up alcohol and came to my senses, - Nadezhda assures.

Her words are immediately confirmed by her youngest, 3-year-old daughter. She says that daddy doesn't scold her like he used to, and she went to kindergarten for the first time today, and she really liked it there.

- Why did you end up in the SOP? - the prosecutor asks Nadezhda.

- My partner was a heavy drinker and didn't work anywhere. We had such a fight last time that we even had to call the police. Now we have peace and quiet, we both work and raise children, - the woman says, hugging her smiling daughter.

Irina Strapko walks around the apartment, looks into the rooms, asks to go to the kitchen and show the food, tell what the children had for lunch. In the refrigerator we notice a bag of MILK, cooked sausage, apples, several small pots with cooked food. On the table is a vase with oatmeal cookies.

- There is not enough food for a family of six, - notes Irina Evgenievna. - Do the children have warm winter clothes? Are there sleeping places for everyone?

- Yes, we have everything. Now Anyuta and I will prepare dinner for the arrival of the household, - the mother of many children notes and shares her plans: - We want to buy a summer house with the family capital so that the children can relax in the fresh air.

While we are driving to the next family in the village of Telma, the prosecutor shares his impressions: the food supply, although small, is there, there are also toys, sleeping places for the children. The youngest daughter, the only one of the children who was at home, is neatly dressed and has her hair braided. The child is not scared, willingly makes contact. Nevertheless, Irina Strapko believes that this family needs to be visited every week. The adults there have not yet regained the trust of the inspection bodies.

The family of 12-year-old Nikita came to the attention of social services in 2022. His mother and her partner did not show up for work and drank heavily. It went as far as long binges. The teenager was immediately recognized as being in a socially dangerous situation.

- It was decided to file a petition with the commission for the removal of the child. Nikita was given to his grandmother for six months to raise. At the same time, continuous work was carried out with his mother . She pulled herself together, received treatment, and found a job. Her son was returned to her, but we continue to visit the family, - clarifies the director of the State Educational Institution "Socio-Pedagogical Center of the Brest District" Lyudmila Borovik.

We understood that Mama Sveta had improved from the first minute when a pretty woman in a soft pink robe opened the door. The apartment was well-renovated and in perfect order. Her eldest son, his wife and daughter live with her.

The inspection scenario is the same: the condition of the mother and other family members, the arrangement of the sleeping place and work area for the schoolchild, where he does his homework, the presence of food in the refrigerator... While the commission records everything they see, we have time to talk to Svetlana.

- I used to drink heavily. When my child was taken away from me, it was a turning point. I decided to bring Nikita home at all costs. I had to pull myself together, completely break with the past and the people who were in it, - the owner quietly admits. - I can't even imagine what my son went through during that time. Now we are making plans for the future: after the 9th grade, Nikita plans to go to college, I support him.

In the same building, but in the next building, there is another "SOP" family. They received an apartment as a large family.

- There are seven children in the family who attend school and kindergarten. In July 2021, they were recognized in the SOP. The reason is the same - ALCOHOLISM of the parents, or rather the father. It seems that he has embarked on the path of correction: he visits a drug treatment center, undergoes treatment. But as soon as the opportunity arises to exclude the family from the SOP, the father gives something away, - says Lyudmila Borovik. - For example, in mid-October, he was fired from work due to drunkenness. Before that, he worked as a livestock breeder on a local farm. Mom works as a cleaner at school.

We find the father of many children at home. It's good that he's sober.

- Why aren't you working? - the prosecutor's office employee asks literally from the doorway.

- I've already contacted the employment center and received a list of vacancies. I'm sitting here studying them, - the man says without much enthusiasm.

- What do you want to work as? - continues Irina Strapko.

She still hasn’t received a clear answer, so she turns to the labor inspector:

- Yulia Anatolyevna, can we suggest something so that a father of many children can find a job tomorrow?

“You are a tractor driver by profession, but you are registered with a narcologist, so they won’t hire you for this vacancy,” explains Yulia Korol, deputy head of the department for labor, employment and social protection of the Brest district executive committee, addressing the man.

A number of other offers are quickly found in the district database, where there are 368 vacancies. After much persuasion and the presentation of several offers at once, with a salary of 1,500 rubles, the representative of the district executive committee finally writes out a couple of job placement directions. The daddy promises that tomorrow morning he will go to the specified enterprises.

- Well, look, if we call these companies and they say that you didn’t come, then the conversation will be in a completely different vein, - warns Irina Strapko.

The next family with many children that we are going to visit was admitted to the SOP in October 2023. There are four children here, the youngest will turn one in a few days. The grandmother and her second daughter live in the apartment with the large family. According to the mother of many children, they help raise the children.

- One of the children did not go to school for some time. The teachers raised the alarm and visited the family without warning. Thus, the fact of alcohol consumption by the mother, who is on maternity leave, was established. Moreover, this happened in the company of her grandmother and sister at a set table in broad daylight, - explains the director of the social and pedagogical center.

The mother of many children is not one to be timid. Meeting the commission at the door, she immediately commands: "Close the door, my child is sick, and you are going to take pictures with your camera!"

- Do you understand why an inspection has come to you? - asks an employee of the regional prosecutor's office.

- No! In general, I think they put me on the register without any reason. They came home from school on Saturday, and it was my sister's birthday. We celebrated, had a few drinks, and they immediately wrote me off as an alcoholic and sent me to a drug addiction specialist. Why should I go there - so that they can put me on the register there too? - the woman answers the question with a question.

- You absolutely must come to a consultation with a narcologist. Without it, your family will not be excluded from the SOP, - Lyudmila Borovik joins the conversation.

- What danger? I love my children, anyone can confirm that, - the woman is indignant, and her mother and sister nod their heads, supporting their relative. - Look for yourself: the refrigerator is full of food, the children have a ton of toys, the apartment is in perfect order.

- How do you live? - asks Irina Strapko.

- I'm on maternity leave now, so I'm in charge of the children's expenses. The fathers don't help us, and I don't expect anything from them, I'm used to doing everything myself. We'll get an apartment soon - as a family with many children. I haven't even touched the family capital, there was no need. So everything is fine with us, there is no socially dangerous situation. My children are healthy and well-fed, - the mother finishes the conversation, which is not very pleasant for her.

It's almost seven in the evening. There are at least two more dysfunctional families on the list of raid participants. In a couple of hours, Irina Strapko is ready to share the results of the inspection:

- Today we paid special attention to families where one or both parents do not work. In general, the raid showed that they are under strict control of the Brest District prevention agencies. The main thing is to work correctly at an early stage: as soon as the child does not come to school and the teachers sound the alarm. The process is well-established, the prosecutor's office will continue to monitor it. As for the parents, I would like to note that many are trying to improve the situation. Everyone we visited today is taking all possible measures: they are visiting a drug addiction specialist or are planning to do so, they are finding jobs. They are trying to change for the benefit of their children.

The President has noted more than once: social policy in Belarus helps women realize their destiny - to raise and educate healthy and happy children. The state supports families by providing both direct payments in the form of benefits, social assistance and other forms of financial support, and through privileges and services. Particular attention is paid to large families.

- The formed system of social protection as a whole fulfills its task. Among the immediate tasks are issues of family capital, strengthening the targeting of the benefit system. These are significant financial investments of the state in the family. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that"The state's care for the family must necessarily correlate with the family's care for its well-being," said Irina Kostevich, Minister of Labor and Social Protection, in a recent interview with BELTA. "The head of state has raised a very pressing issue - the protection of children in dysfunctional families. Every family that has even the slightest signs of a crisis situation requires maximum attention from government services and the surrounding community. Why? Because there are no other people's children.

Marina VALAH,

Photo by Vadim YAKUBENOK,

newspaper "7 days".