Chapter 3. Observing the rights of the child The Commissioner drew attention of the officials of the Ministry of Social Policy who were involved in monitoring visits to the need to address such a discriminatory situation. At present, a request has been sent to the Ministry to provide information on the number of such children in order to prepare appropriate financial justifications and initiate amendments to the legislation. 73 Foster families, family-type orphanages The legislation provides for the mandatory social support to foster families and family-type orphanages. However, monitoring visits, appeals from children, as well as messages received from the media and social networks, showed its inadequate quality, namely: lack of psychological support for the child and the difficulties of adaptation of children in the new family and school community; lack of psychological support for the family in case of difficulties in communicating with the child; violation of legal requirements on upgrade of qualification of foster parents (they should undergo respective training every 2 years) taking into account the individual features of foster children. Conclusions on the condition of maintenance, education and upbringing of the child do not reflect the efforts of social workers on providing case management to such families, as they only indicate the number of services provided to families. Recommendations to foster parents on further upbringing and development of children are not provided. As a result, the number of children leaving foster families and family-type orphanages due to lack of understanding between children and foster parents, violence against children, failure of foster parents to perform their obligations with regard to the children has increased over the last three years. While in 2017, there were 58 such children, in 2019 their number increased to 119. Example The Commissioner opened proceedings to protect the rights and interests of foster children in one of the family-type orphanages in Dnipropetrovsk oblast where children were sexually abused by the ex-husband of the foster mother. In addition, according to foster children, it became known that they were involved in forced labour. Criminal proceedings are underway, and the Service Unit for Children of Dnipropetrovsk State Oblast Administration together with the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Centre of Social Services for Families, Children and Youth conducted an official inspection at the request of the Commissioner. According to its findings, the Deputy Head of Pokrov State District Administration of Dnipropetrovsk oblast was dismissed, and the Head of the Service Unit for Children and the Head of the Population Protection Department of Pokrov State District Administration were reprimanded. CHAPTER 3 While the number of orphaned children and children deprived of parental care is decreasing every year, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, at the end of 2019 the number of such children in foster families and family-type orphanages increases: 2017 – 13,689 children (19.2% of the total number of orphaned children and children deprived of parental care), 2019 – 14,056 children, or 20.0% (see Annex 3.1).