Families willing to take in a child in distress at any moment on a temporary basis are called crisis foster families and there are currently only three in Estonia — one in Viimsi, one in Lääne-Viru County and one in Ida-Viru County.

Children placed in crisis families are those who, for various reasons, must be quickly removed from their homes and placed in a safe environment. These reasons can range widely — parents may be seriously ill, struggling with alcohol or drug addiction or serving time in a detention facility.

While there are currently only three such crisis families, the state believes there should be several times more.

Liis Saarna from SOS Children's Village (SOS Lasteküla) explained to ERR that the more crisis families there are, the fewer children in crisis situations would need to be placed in shelters.

"Although the name 'shelter' implies a safe home, from a child's perspective, one-on-one interaction, attention and being in a family setting are incredibly valuable," Saarna said.

Interest in becoming a foster parent has declined significantly compared to a few years ago. In 2020, the Social Insurance Board received 72 applications, but last year, that number had dropped to just 36. Meanwhile, more than 700 children remain in orphanages.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic began, people stayed at home, looked for new activities and had more free time. Now, with economic difficulties, global crises and war, people have likely become more cautious and are not ready to make such a decision," said Raili Pütsepp, a senior specialist at the Social Insurance Board.

According to Saarna, in addition to financial reasons, many people hesitate to become crisis foster families because balancing such responsibility with a full-time job can be overwhelming.

Crisis families must be prepared to take in a child with just two hours' notice, meaning they need to have a very flexible lifestyle. The child stays with them temporarily — until it becomes clear what their next steps will be.

"They must be ready, with just two hours' notice, to take in a child of any age. It could be a newborn coming straight from the maternity ward or it could be a 14-year-old. They also need to be willing to travel across the country if necessary, whether for medical visits or meetings with biological parents. A crisis foster family must have a high level of capability and flexibility to carry out these essential tasks for the child," Saarna explained.

State stipend for raising children in need €1,200 a month

A crisis foster family that provides a temporary short-term home for a child currently receives a gross payment of at least €1,200 from the state. In addition, the city or municipality that places the child in the family provides at least €240 to cover the child's personal expenses.

If a crisis foster family is not currently caring for a child, the Social Insurance Board pays them a readiness allowance equivalent to the minimum wage, which is €886. This is compensation for their commitment to being available to take in a child at any time.

Pütsepp added that these are the minimum payments and cities or municipalities have the discretion to provide additional support. Some do, while others do not.

Saarna pointed out that in certain cases, even family members working remotely may struggle to care for a child — for example, if the child is a newborn requiring intensive care. Therefore, she emphasized that the compensation should be sufficient for families to make a living.

Families get to rest for three days before a new child arrives

If a child has stayed with a crisis foster family for more than 30 days, the family is entitled to a seven-day rest period after the child leaves before another child can be placed with them. For stays shorter than 30 days, the family is entitled to a three-day rest period. During this time, they continue to receive the readiness allowance, which is equivalent to the minimum wage.

Saarna noted that considering the effort required to care for a child placed in a crisis family, three days is not nearly enough for the family to recover.

"Let's say the child needs to see four different specialists, attend school meetings, meet with biological parents and go to various other appointments. Then, after just three days, a new child arrives and the entire process starts all over again," Saarna explained.

"If we truly want dedicated people who are fully committed to being crisis foster families, we need to provide them with a guarantee that they can do their job well. If someone has to juggle multiple responsibilities and deal with so much uncertainty, it doesn't exactly encourage them to take on this role," she added.

Saarna said that ideally, being a crisis foster parent should be treated like any other job.

"If this is someone's calling and they are good at it, then why not?" she said.

Raili Pütsepp from the Social Insurance Board agreed that funding from the state budget for such families should be increased.

Children with severe disabilities reach foster families for the first time

The youngest child placed in a crisis foster family last year was a newborn, while the oldest was 15 years old. In total, 15 children were able to live in a crisis family instead of a shelter last year.

Most of the children were preschool-aged: seven were between 0 and 3 years old, five were between 4 and 7, one was eight years old and two were 14 years old.

The Social Insurance Board received inquiries from 89 families or individuals interested in becoming crisis foster families. However, only two new crisis families signed contracts — one in Viimsi and the other in Rakvere.

At the same time, two existing crisis foster families stopped operating, leaving Estonia with just three crisis families in total. According to the Social Insurance Board, the actual need is significantly higher.

Last year, a total of 47 children found homes in foster families, with the oldest being 17 years old. For the first time, children with severe disabilities were also placed in foster families.

In 15 cases, children moved to foster families from shelters. Fourteen children came from orphanages, four were placed directly from their biological families or previous guardians and five infants were placed in foster families straight from the maternity hospital.

Seven children were placed with single-parent foster families, while the rest were taken in by couples. One child was fostered by a same-sex couple.

At the end of last year, 732 children were living in orphanages in Estonia. For comparison, the previous year, the number was 714, while in 2018, there were 899 children in orphanages, according to a report by the Social Insurance Board.

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