Program for the development of social protection of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2015–2017 was approved by Decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 85 of February 27, 2015, and then 2017–2020. The program was developed by the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Kyrgyz Republic from 2013 to 2020.
The main goal of the Program is to provide quality services and create equal opportunities for socially vulnerable categories of citizens, in particular, the social protection of children and families in difficult life situations. By Order of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development No. 137 of November 24, 2016, in order to implement this program, the Interdepartmental Working Group was created. One of the significant plans and activities of this working group was the deinstitutionalization of institutions, centres providing social services. The deinstitutionalization was aimed at changing the traditional child protection system that had existed in our country since Soviet times.
Deinstitutionalization is the process of reforming the childcare system; the transition from an institutional system of care to a system that ensures the upbringing of children in a family or in conditions as close as possible to family ones [1, p. 64].
The main objectives of deinstitutionalization are:
• limiting the care based on institutions and inpatient institutions, while expanding family forms of guardianship and custodian, as well as related services at the place of residence;
• preventing separation of children from their parents by ensuring adequate support for children, families and local communities;
• preparation for leaving the care system by preparing the child for an independent life.
The fundamental legal and conceptual basis for deinstitutionalization is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, guidelines on alternative care for children, the European Convention on Human Rights and other international documents [2, p. 143]. The deinstitutionalization must be scheduled and comprehensive. It requires political will at the state level. The deinstitutionalization policy aims to: