Family Values in Orphanages: A Look at Problems and Possible Solutions to Institutionalized Childcare

In the twentieth century, a dramatic shift took place in the United States that deemphasized the role of orphanages in favor of family-centered programs. In fact, many viewed "out-of-home, long-term residential care for children [to be] 'intrinsically evil' and beyond redemption" (Peter 56). Foster care, adoptive families, and even family-centered institutions were considered to be far better for the child's long-term welfare, and were often more cost efficient as well. However, while the merits of more personalized programs such as these are rarely disputed, a great number of orphanages still exist outside of the United States. In impoverished and disease stricken countries, the orphanage is viewed as the only safe haven for destitute children. Therefore, they continue to play a very important role in the welfare of children around the globe. A particularly interesting area of focus is the role of family in these orphanages, and upon examination of this topic one can begin to see the causes for the major shift in the United States ethos of child welfare.

Indeed, it seems that families play two important and distinct roles in the lives of children in orphanages. Firstly, the most obvious role of the family in an orphanage is its lack of presence. While the children may be living in an orphanage for a variety of reasons, they all share the common trait of not having active parents in their lives. This lack has a variety of important effects on the child, and is certainly worth investigation. Secondly, with the lack of a normal family often comes a tendency to view other people in the orphanage as a replacement familial group. The orphans may view other children or their caretakers as part of their family, and in time may even regard them as more important than their biological connections. In fact, some orphanages have taken this concept to heart and radically altered the way their children live to encourage this idea. As it will become clear, the two roles of families within orphanages are extremely important, and are likely strongly interrelated.