Problems in the study of orphanages and child homelessness in soviet era

Abstract

Introduction. This article examines the issue of orphanages and child homelessness during the Soviet period of the 1920s–1930s. Particular attention is paid to the social and educational policies of the Soviet system, the activities of institutions for homeless children, and the impact of famine. Despite the significance of child homelessness, it has received relatively limited coverage in scholarly research. The purpose and objectives of this study are to conduct a comprehensive analysis of orphanages and child homelessness in the Soviet era, identifying their socio-political causes, their place in state policy, and the specifics of their treatment in historiography. The study employs an analysis of archival materials, primarily decrees of the VTciK (All-Union Central Election Committee) and the SNK (Council of People's Commissars) , which defined the organization of children's institutions, and demonstrates their role within the social welfare system. Pedagogical and scholarly approaches to this issue from the Soviet time are considered, alongside research by Kazakhstani and foreign scholars. The article characterizes the development of orphanages and the causes and forms of child homelessness. The results of the study reveal the specifics of Soviet social policy towards orphans and homeless children, illustrating its implementation at the regional level. It is established that children were victims of socio-economic reforms and mass famine. The Soviet authorities took measures to improve the situation of homeless children by placing them in orphanages, communes, reception centers, and through the work of central and regional children's commissions. The conclusion states that research by both Kazakhstani and foreign authors has made a significant contribution to the study of the history of homelessness and orphanages in the Soviet period. The child homelessness viewed not merely as a problem for the Soviet government, but as an important social phenomenon for society as a whole. Contemporary sources and periodicals provided a detailed analysis of the shortcomings of state policy regarding homeless children and proposed ways to overcome them.