Diocesan school for foster parents “Tenderness”, created under Department of the St. Petersburg diocese for Church charity and social Ministry, was submitted on 8 August 2018 the Committee on social policy of St. Petersburg at the meeting of heads and representatives of bodies of guardianship and guardianship, according to patriarhiei.
Before in Russia there was only one similar project in Moscow. The establishment of the school was supported by the Chairman of Committee on social policy Alexander Rzhanenkov, the Commissioner for the rights of the child in St. Petersburg Svetlana Agapitova.
A report about the created PDS “Tenderness” was made by the head of the coordination center for work with children left without parental care, the diocesan social Department, priest Theodosius Ambartsumov. He said that the school has a long experience of the charitable Foundation “the Orthodox children’s mission of St. Seraphim vyritskiy”. The new project aims to increase the level of competence and awareness of the candidates for adoptive parents. Among the priorities of the school “Tenderness” father Theodosius allocated the promoting device in foster families of children with disabilities and development of Institute of foster families in the parish churches of the diocese.
Were formulated the main objectives of the training of candidates for adoptive parents — reducing the number of returns taken in a family of children back to social institutions, the orientation of citizens to the reception of an orphan category (children with disabilities), spiritual and pastoral care to foster families in the traditions of Orthodox culture, introduction to the spiritual heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Program training for foster parents includes two sections: “the Role of spiritually-moral education of children” and “Education of children with disabilities (HIA); adoption into the family of a child with a disability.” Within these sections, the teachers addressed a variety of topics, including General questions spiritually-moral education of children, and characteristics of education of children with various disabilities.
Most teachers have experience of foster parenting with children with disabilities. Project Manager, priest Theodosius Ambartsumov and coordinator of the Hope Ambartsumova will be taught in school. Among the teachers also and family psychologists, social workers, doctors, psychotherapists and head of the legal administration in the office of the Ombudsman for the rights of the child in St.-Petersburg lawyer Michael Kolomytsev.
School of foster parents “Tenderness” will carry out its activities in the premises of the diocesan Department for social service (Monastyrka embankment, 1, cab. №№ 72, 75, 78).