The meeting took place at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. Before the meeting, its participants attended a concert by the students of the Kursk Musical College and Boarding School for the Visually Impaired.

Dmitry Medvedev’s address:

Friends, first of all, thank you very much for that very enjoyable performance. It is testament to the fact that despite any health restrictions there are no limitations to talent. I would also like to thank the faculty of the school for your hard work. Yours is a noble mission, which is so important to the young people who are looking for their path in life. I’m certain that this school helps them find themselves despite any difficulties in their lives.

Thank you very much, you are true professionals.

I would also like to take this opportunity to address everyone here, and women in particular.

Dear ladies, I'd like to wish you a happy spring holiday. This is not an ideological holiday, but a celebration for families and co-workers. On behalf of all men, I wish you happiness, good health and love in your homes. 

* * * 

Transcript of the meeting with social workers, teachers and counsellors:

Dmitry Medvedev: Dear ladies, friends and colleagues. I have already wished all those present here a happy upcoming March 8 holiday. Of course, such meetings should not be tied up to any holidays. We have met today to discuss issues of social protection, childhood and adoption, to name a few. However, considering that it is women who largely deal with these issues (regrettably this is the case, but this is probably completely unfair and incorrect), I’d like to avail myself of this opportunity to wish you and your colleagues a happy upcoming holiday – a holiday for all women. As I have already said it is no longer perceived as an ideological day of international solidarity, but has simply become a spring holiday when we express our love for our families and friends, for our women – mothers, grandmothers and wives – all women without exception. A happy holiday to you!

Remarks: Thank you!

Dmitry Medvedev: I have already stated the agenda, but it is not set in stone. If you want to discuss any other issues outside the social sphere, we can do so. I’d like to say just a few words. As I have said it appears that most social workers are women. To my knowledge, we have about 500,000 social workers. Is this right Mr Topilin? (addressing Minister of Labour and Social Protection Maxim Topilin) How many of them are women?

Maxim Topilin: About 80%.

Dmitry Medvedev: About 80%. I must admit, social workers are not the most advantaged. Our task, the task of the state, is to do everything we can to provide social workers with budget funds on the same level as other groups, if not to change their status radically. We have adopted relevant decisions but our budget opportunities will not allow us to do this in half a year or a year. Yet, in different regions this will be done by 2018, and social workers will receive the average public-employee salaries in their given region. Regrettably, now we have a huge gap. I reviewed some figures for 2011 – social workers receive three times less than the national economic average. This is a lot. We will try to reduce this gap as quickly as we can.

We are about to adopt many important documents, for instance, a law on social services that is going through another iteration of discussions. We have recently adopted a targeted federal programme on social issues. It has been launched. It includes a package of instruments and money, and we can talk about it now.

And of course, we should discuss what can be done for the development of the social sphere by other structures than the state, because our country is very versatile now. We have private businesses, volunteer organisations, charities that must make some sort of contribution. Speaking of which, many of them work not only because it’s their responsibility, but because their conscience dictates it. I would like to thank them for this. I know that there are people here who are involved in social work and I would love to hear what they have to say.

So let’s begin. Please introduce yourself. And enjoy your tea, because while two people are talking the others can help themselves to the treats.

Tatyana Bulayeva (in-home care services worker from the Social Services Centre No 2 in Belgorod): My name is Tatyana Bulayeva and I represent Belgorod. I’m a social worker and have been helping senior citizens for almost 20 years.

Dmitry Medvedev: Ms Bulayeva, is this hard work?

Tatyana Bulayeva: It is a very hard work, physically and emotionally.

Dmitry Medvedev: Why do you keep working? I’m just curious.

Tatyana Bulayeva: I love my job. I love helping people.

Dmitry Medvedev: Do you know why I’m asking? I'm talking about pay. Of course, we will work on increasing salaries…

Tatyana Bulayeva: Our salaries are more or less decent now.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank goodness, and they will continue to grow. It is obvious, however, that social work is a calling. There are people who would never do social work however high the salaries.

Tatyana Bulayeva: We are dedicated to this work and no one can make us give it up.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, you are dedicated and, most importantly, you feel drawn to this work. Thank you for that.

Tatyana Bulayeva: Speaking of salaries. I’m from Belgorod in the Belgorod Region. The salaries are growing, which helps make this work more popular. The average salary of a social worker is almost 12,000 roubles as of January 1, 2013. I earn around 15,000 roubles.

Dmitry Medvedev: Is this because you have more experience?

Tatyana Bulayeva: The workload is higher and I have worked longer. I’m quite content. This year I took part in the national contest of social workers.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, I forgot to mention the contest. How did it go?

Tatyana Bulayeva: I hope to win.

Dmitry Medvedev: Hasn’t the winner been announced yet?

Tatyana Bulayeva: No.

Dmitry Medvedev: You will win in the long run.

Maxim Topilin: Did you participate?

Tatyana Bulayeva: Yes, I’m participating.

Maxim Topilin: We will announce the results by Social Worker’s Day on June 8.

Dmitry Medvedev: Is it a national contest?

Tatyana Bulayeva: Yes.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. How many contests have you already held?

Maxim Topilin: Two contests.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, two, I remember. We initiated it in 2010.

Maxim Topilin: There are 20 categories in it. It is quite popular.

Tatyana Bulayeva: I’m very pleased. Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: What’s the prize?

Maxim Topilin: Awards of 100,000, 50,000 or 30,000 roubles.

Dmitry Medvedev: In 20 categories.

Tatyana Bulayeva: Yes, I hope to win.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see you are determined to win.

Maxim Topilin: I have just returned from a working trip to Belgorod with Olga Golodets. I must say, the situation is better there than elsewhere in the country.

Dmitry Medvedev: You know, it really depends on the priorities that the regions set for themselves. Each region has different priorities. The fact that the Belgorod officials see social work as their priority must be highly regarded.

Tatyana Bulayeva: I think our old men and women live longer now.

Dmitry Medvedev: This is a good outcome.

Tatyana Bulayeva: They look forward to seeing us.

Dmitry Medvedev: This conclusion has been proven by medical statistics. The average life expectancy has grown in recent years for both women, who usually enjoy better health, and men, due to larger funding of healthcare and social welfare. We now have a target to reach the average European life expectancy. Higher life expectancy is a fact. It has grown by three to four years in the past five-six years for both men and women. It is common for women to live longer, but now this is true for men, too. I remember when I first saw the statistics, and it was horrible. In 2005, the average life expectancy for men was 59 years.

Maxim Topilin: Many didn’t live until retirement age.

Dmitry Medvedev: True, they didn’t even live until retirement. This is comparable to underdeveloped African countries. But they have poor healthcare system and people are starving. Our situation is completely different. So I can see a positive effect from the social programmes.

Ms Bulayeva, I have already said what I know about salary increases. I hope the governors will follow the example of Yevgeny Savchenko (Governor of the Belgorod Region). Most importantly, we have set goals that we are determined to reach by 2018. Each region will decide independently how quickly it can introduce the changes. So you can expect your demands to be met.

Yelena Arefyeva (mother with many children): First of all, I’d like to say several words about orphans, since I’m representing mothers with many children here. Not just a mom, but a foster mom with many children.

Dmitry Medvedev: How many children do you have?

Yelena Arefyeva: We have five adopted sons, an angel of a daughter and an older son who has already served in the army.

Dmitry Medvedev: Where are you from, Ms Arefyeva?

Yelena Arefyeva: I’m from the Samara Region.

My heart bleeds for children who live in children’s homes. Children should live in families. I want people to realise that there’s no reason to be wary of adopting children from children's homes, because they are just like other children, only unfortunate, abandoned and betrayed. Life is very hard for them. If you show genuine love for such children – nothing short of genuine love, because they can pick up on hypocrisy – these kids will open up like flowers. They will give all their hearts to the loving people around them. If children detect insincerity, they begin to take it out on everyone, because they have already been betrayed once when they were abandoned. Here’s where the negativity and all the crimes committed by these children come from. Since they haven’t received parental love, they take it out on everyone who comes their way.

The point is that media are now focused on bad experiences in foster families. I believe that if they cover such things, then they should also show families where children live comfortably and are taken care of. If children grow up in an atmosphere of love and affection, they will become loving and affectionate parents, too. So, if society, primarily, the family, give them a solid moral foundation, they will have something to rely on for the rest of their lives. If they don’t have it – and they are unlikely to get enough of it at children's homes – then it’s easier for them to go downhill. There are very few children who are able to stick to their beliefs and convictions no matter what life throws at them.

Another thing I also wanted to say is that when children turn 18, they shouldn’t leave children’s home, because they are not ready for living on their own.

Dmitry Medvedev: What should we do about them?

Yelena Arefyeva: They can’t properly handle those housing certificates and funds that are issued to them. They are an easy prey for criminals and other scam artists who steal everything. Then things start going downhill for them to the point of no return. I suggest raising the graduation age from 18 to 21, and have guardians or any other entities take care of these children and help them stay on track. At 21, people tend to become mature. They just need time to mature ... I remember myself going to another city to apply to college at 17 – this whole new life just blew my mind, because ...

Dmitry Medvedev: That happens.

Yelena Arefyeva: …because I was on my own. No mother, no father, just myself. These children have no one to ask for help. It would be great if they had someone to ask for advice.

Another aspect is that after spending three to four years in foster family, they are no longer diagnosed as having a learning disability. These kids then go to technical schools and higher education institutions unlike children who stay in children’s homes. Children from children’s homes normally go to vocational schools after the ninth grade. They can’t even think about pursuing their education and becoming a professional. I wanted to say a few words about the Samara Region.

Dmitry Medvedev: Please go ahead.

Yelena Arefyeva: Currently 11,618 children in the Samara Region need government assistance. Of these, 31% live in replacement families like ours; 6% live in foster families, and 48% live with the guardians who are relatives of these children. Thus, 85% of children in the Samara Region live in families. I believe that this is really good.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s a big number.

Yelena Arefyeva: Yes, it is. We need to do something about it and make children’s homes a thing of the past over the next 40-50 years.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s a realistic approach. Keep going down this path, and expect the results 40–50 years from now…

Yelena Arefyeva: You see, two years is…

Dmitry Medvedev: I agree. You can’t achieve much in a matter of two years.

Yelena Arefyeva: We won’t be able to do anything about it in two years. First, we need to change the public’s attitude…

Dmitry Medvedev: Correct.

Yelena Arefyeva: If we manage to change the public’s attitude and pay sufficient allowances ... Take a look at this figure. The state spends 60,000 roubles a month on a child who lives in a children's home. A foster family in the Samara Region receives a child support allowance ranging from 9,708 roubles (standard subsidy) to 12,904 roubles (if a child has a disability or is HIV-positive). See, it’s 5 times less. And what about the quality of living in a family and in a children's home? Huge difference. Life is hard for children from children’s homes. I know of no other way to put it. Children who are brought up in families adapt well to society. They can live a full life and make a difference. That's what I wanted to say.

Dmitry Medvedev: You’ve said it.

Yelena Arefyeva: Please take a closer look at the families that are working hard to raise these children. They are not doing it for the money, but rather because their heart tells them to do so. I have five children and I try to find an individual approach to each one of them. One of them will be an artist. I told him: Vova, you will be a famous artist, because you are talented. The other one will likely become a football player, he has it in him. The third one is all about dancing. We find ...

Dmitry Medvedev: Where do you live? Do you have enough space for everyone?

Yelena Arefyeva: Governor Merkushkin promised to have a second floor added to our house.

Dmitry Medvedev: Do you live in a house?

Yelena Arefyeva: Yes, a house. We have a greenhouse, bee hives and a swimming pool. The children live close to nature. We teach them some skills, because children from children’s homes have no skills whatsoever.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. I agree with what Ms Arefyeva said. Of course, it is better when children live in families. Even the most comfortable children’s home is a poor substitute for a family. Our children’s homes vary: some are horrible and your heart sinks at the thought that children live there. Some are quite decent and are equipped with all the necessary conveniences and facilities. Many children’s homes receive help from organisations and affluent people. However, it does little to change the overall picture: a family is a family, and nothing can take its place.

I don’t quite agree that all children from children’s homes are completely disoriented and asocial when it’s time for them to leave the institution. This is not entirely true. Indeed, some of them are not ready to fend for themselves, while others, on the contrary, acquire strong life skills for obvious reasons. You were right when you said that many of them are left without supervision and can’t find a job and that the government should address that. Under our laws, citizens reach full legal capacity when they turn 18. Raising this age for children from children’s homes would be the wrong thing to do. As you may be aware, full legal capacity is all about the ability to enter into all kinds of contracts and transactions, marry and, in general, be an independent adult. It’s also true that these children can’t be left unattended after they turn 18.

I regularly visit a children's home, and I know that they have a supervision system in place where children can come back and live there until they get their own place. Young men who go to the army at 18 or 19, sometimes come back to help teachers. Anyway, there must be a follow-up system in place, all the more so since we unfortunately have rather long housing waiting lists for children from children's homes. Numbers differ across regions, but there’s still a fairly large number of children who do not have a place of their own. Of course, we should make sure that they don’t fall prey to crooks out there, which happens occasionally precisely because these children have limited life experience. That is why we shouldn’t lose sight of them. How can we provide this kind of supervision without taking away their independence? That is something that we should think about. I believe that the government can come up with additional oversight mechanisms.

Yelena Arefyeva: That would be excellent.

Dmitry Medvedev: With regard to foster families, you know better than I how complicated things are. It depends on each particular case. However, we won’t be able to do away with children's homes, if we don’t change our attitude and stereotypes about children from children’s homes.

There is a big ongoing debate about the pros and cons of foreign adoptions and whether it’s a good idea to stop foreign adoptions. I have stated my position on many occasions, and I’m here to tell you again: I’m absolutely confident that we can resolve this problem ourselves even though some of our living standards may be wanting.  We can resolve it ourselves, just because we have century-old traditions of charity, compassion and adoption. This is my first point. This runs in our blood.

In some Russian regions, traditions preclude any child left without parental care from going to a children’s home. I believe that such traditions should apply across our country, regardless of the region, faith, or other considerations, because that’s the way to handle such situations. Why do foreigners adopt our children? Just because we have such children in our country, and they don’t. That means that we should also be up to that standard. It’s hard to disagree with what you said about the future of children's homes, but making them a nice place to live and ultimately eliminating them for lack of demand will take much more than one year. We should be realistic. We will address this issue as best we can.

Yelena Arefyeva: The media is an important issue…

Dmitry Medvedev: Oh, and the last thing you said about the media. You know, there are different kinds of media. You watch some channels, somebody else watches other channels. I sometimes see reports and stories devoted to good well-knit large families where all or some of the children have been adopted and by and large these are good, positive stories. But of course, they often play up negative stories as well.

I agree that they should by all means show what a new child brings to a family  which already has a lot of children, how the child changes, how his/her habits change, how such children become socialised, in other words, good examples must be shown, that goes without saying. The media shouldn't only focus on negative things.

Yelena Arefyeva: That is what we are trying to do.

Dmitry Medvedev: Fine. Well done.

Yelena Arefyeva: We are going to take in two more kids.

Dmitry Medvedev:  You are real heroes. You should be decorated.

Svetlana Lyamkina: (teacher at state-run Golovenkovsky Boarding School for Mentally Handicapped Blind Children in the Tula Region): My name is Svetlana Lyamkina (Tula region), I’ve been working at the Golovenkovsky Boarding School for Mentally Handicapped Blind Children for 24 years. Yes, adoption and bringing up a child in the family is always a relevant topic and will remain so for a long time to come, and unfortunately, I have to admit that there are certain kinds of institutions we cannot get rid of.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, of course.

Svetlana Lyamkina: Take our children’s home. We have very difficult children, it’s hard work. And I have to say that not every family that adopts such a child can lift that child up.

Dmitry Medvedev: That is true.

Svetlana Lyamkina: Because they need a speech pathologist, a speech therapist, psychologist and they need medication. With your permission, I’ll cite an example. Not so long ago, in February, our Deputy Minister visited our children’s home. I don’t think he came away with negative impressions of our home. The material infastructure has improved greatly in recent years. This is the result of the changed policy, the government is paying more attention to these difficult children. We put in new windows in all the sleeping premises and got good equipment for the classrooms. We are planning to build a church. All with the support of our governor and our Tula ministry.

As to what to do when the children grow up (they are at our home until the age of 23), that is a real problem. Several years ago the position of social educationist was introduced. After their time at our home ends, our children go to nursing homes. The activities of social educationists are very helpful. The children have acquired certain skills at our home. We do not offer formal education, but we try to teach them something: above all how to survive, to take care of themselves, to adjust socially and to communicate. We prepare them for learning a trade because they have to do something to survive after they leave our institution. We treat them as children, but there they are adults, although they are sick adults. The new positions of social educationists have greatly improved things. So we are making significant progress and we would like to thank you for this.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, of course, what I am seeing is impressive. That’s why I said that we have different children’s homes.

Svetlana Lyamkina: And one more thing, if I may. Last year our children’s home celebrated the 40th anniversary since its establishment. We used to be a unique institution in the Soviet Union, now we have acquired a somewhat different status. Initially we were a medical-social institution, now we are a medical-social-educational institution with a considerable educational service, a system.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you very much. First, I would like to say that you are right, and we sometimes cannot do without such children’s homes.  You know, the kind of children people will adopt and won’t adopt depends on their attitudes. And I’ll be frank with you because we often hear people objecting to adoption by foreigners, and indeed there are some problems and irregularities in this sphere,  and sadly, crimes do occur, and they are being investigated. Even so, they often adopt children with serious health problems, and that is basically a sign that they are morally prepared for this and in that sense we all have something to learn from them. But as long as there are such children, we cannot do without such institutions. It’s great that they are changing, that such changes for the better have taken place: I see medical equipment and exercise equipment and I understand that the teaching facilities have also been upgraded.

But I would take issue with you when you say that as long as they are in your school they are children, they are sick children with disabilities, but they are children all the same, they are provided for by the state and they are under state control. As soon as childhood is over (and we’ve just been speaking about this) they usually become disabled people whom nobody needs and the state seems to say, that's it, our mission ends there. In general, what you said is very sad: moving from a children’s home to a home for the elderly at 18.

So we have a new social development programme. We need to think about it. We must find a way to continue helping the children who leave such institutions as yours to adapt to society.

Svetlana Lyamkina: And there is something else I would like to draw your attention to. Our children have the right to housing and a great deal of work is being done to register their rights. But we have to be realistic and we understand that these children will never be able to live completely independently, they will never be able to use this housing, they need a different set-up.

Dmitry Medvedev: At a minimum they need a qualified attendant, someone who really cares and doesn't just do it for money. Anyway, it needs to be a well-designed service, and that is something we really don’t have, unfortunately.

Taisia Pechyonkina (director of the state-financed institution in the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania the“Kind Heart”Republican Social Rehabilitation Centre): Mr Medvedev, I would like to talk about a different kind of institution.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, go ahead please.

Taisia Pechenkina: Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, director of the republican social rehabilitation centre for minors in a difficult situation. My name is Taisia Pechyonkina. Children stay with us temporarily. My task and the task of all the staff and the social security system in our republic and in the whole country, I am sure, is to rescue the child and preserve it for the family and for our society. We work with difficult children and simultaneously with their families and we return more than 80% of them to their own families. The most difficult task is to prevent a socially vulnerable family from becoming socially dangerous so that it becomes more difficult to work with that family, to come to the child’s rescue not tomorrow, but today. I would like to thank you personally and the Government and our federal ministry for its judicious support, for its care of the children because children are our future. I invite you to visit North Ossetia because our children have the care of the state… Our distinguished Minister visited us recently and he saw what conditions our republic has provided for these children. Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you. I have of course visited your republic more than once, but I have never visited your institution. So an invitation wouldn’t come amiss. If the minister has already paved the way, I’ll try to visit you some day too. Thank you.

You wanted to say something? Yes, go ahead please.

Svetlana Zarechnova (teacher and speech pathologist, Federal State Budget-Financed Institution Sergiyev-Posad Home for Deafblind Children): My name is Svetlana Zarechnova. I would like to continue the conversation about a special category of children, which is perhaps not that big, I mean deafblind children. I represent a home for deafblind children, it is a unique institution, you probably know about it. We have put a lot of effort into these children. I would just like to comment on what you said. We have unique methods to make these children human because what we have when a child comes to us... Very often they are unable not only to walk and talk, that is a tall order, but they cannot even eat, drink, or go to the toilet. Of course, by the time they are 18 they are very different. Some children remain at a very basic level, but there are children who can enter higher education institutions, graduate and become good specialists. They all have housing where they are registered, but unfortunately, they all come to us from the provinces and their place of residence is so far away that even when we have established personal contacts we cannot take care of them because we are in the Moscow Region and they come, for example, from somewhere east of the Urals. And we face particular problems when these children turn 18 and they cannot live by themselves in the housing registered in their name.

Dmitry Medvedev: We have just been discussing this.

Svetlana Zarechnova: … and they are placed in homes for the disabled. And that means that all our work is wasted because the child does not understand speech (like we are communicating now), a mentally retarded child who is already 18 needs special means of communication: tactile speech, gestures, tactile communication that not every person who happens to be around can provide. Indeed, it is hard just to establish contact with such a child. So, it would be great if some effort was made to make more places available, for example, at homes for the disabled, for young disabled people and to send our children there in groups so that they could communicate, have an opportunity to communicate, and do not lose these habits.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, you are right. That is a separate story and we should be upfront about it and not be shy and hide it. Let us face it, we all know what the situation was like here until quite recently. People tried not to notice the disabled. There was a period when it was thought that disabled people should not even be shown on television in our country. And if they had to be shown it had to be done in passing, apologetically, or it had to be said that he is fine and can even run and jump on his crutches. But we understand that life for people with disabilities is very complicated. Speaking about deafblind people it is a very special and very difficult case. But we have no right to pretend that such people, such citizens do not exist in our country. It is good that there are techniques and that your institution exists. It’s great that there are methodologies and that you have this institution and the people who work there. I must agree that, like for other categories of people, we should think about what becomes of them later because communicating with them calls for some unique skills. As you said, at least after completing their studies or development at your institution they should go to places where they will have qualified personnel looking after them and will be together if they can communicate with one another, if they know one another. 

As for housing, it’s the same story: of course they cannot use that housing without oversight by guardians or other social workers. Let’s think about how to do it in a focused way, with regard to the Sergiyev-Posad facility and in general.

As for acceptance at educational institutions, that’s another difficult question. I have met many young people with disabilities who study at universities. The main thing is that they find themselves in a new environment and if things are properly arranged, they do not feel disadvantaged. It’s is important to use all the methods and all the places reserved for disabled people to enable them to be enrolled at universities.

Svetlana Zarechnova: Yes, with a little help they can be very successful, there are many examples and wee see them today..

Dmitry Medvedev: The concert was revealing in that sense. But you know, when we were watching the performance, and I said this to Maksim Topilin, because they now look successful, moreover, they are in demand, they get applause, we admire them and really enjoy it because they perform like professionals. I really mean it, and I think you are with me there. But later they may be in for a great disappointment because at this college they are talented and popular, but in real adult life nobody will need them. But they are truly talented people and they must have support. This is perhaps less of a problem than the problems of those in your charge, but it is also important to have a single register of such children.

Marina Ishchenko (chief of department, psychiatrist at the Lipetsk Region State Budget-Financed Institution “Yelets Boarding School for Mentally Challenged Children): May I ask a question from this side?

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, of course.

Marina Ishchenko: My name is Marina Ishchenko, I’m a psychiatrist from a home for mentally challenged children similar to the ones the previous speakers talked about. I’m from the city of Yelets, Lipetsk Region. Because I also work with disabled children I would like to add a few things to this conversation. I would like to talk about the social protection of these children and ask you whether the Government is planning any measures for social protection in this area.

Dmitry Medvedev: Of course it is. We are increasing the special allowance, we raised it twice during the year. This is not a lot of money, of course, but we will continue this work because in any case the social benefits and pensions should be paid in accordance with the indexation schedule to which the state commits itself. But I think it is equally important that the social adjustment of such children should be the responsibility not only of the state because there are many details the state alone cannot cope with. I don’t know, does your boarding school have any sponsors? Who are they? I am just interested.

Marina Ishchenko: I can’t tell you because many refuse...

Dmitry Medvedev: I don’t mean the names.

Marina Ishchenko: Many of them do not even give the names…

Dmitry Medvedev: Some help anonymously, and there are some organisations that are also providing support.

Marina Ishchenko: Yes, there are organisations and many of them donate anonymously.

Dmitry Medvedev: That, I think, is extremely important, so that ordinary people – those who have a lot of money and those who do not have an awful lot but still feel that they would like to share some of their care and their material well-being with these children. As regards the state support system, of course we will develop it. As I said, we will index the existing pensions and benefits (we did it twice last year). We’re not talking about a lot of money, but still it’s a little better than some time ago. The same goes for allowances for parents and guardians who are bringing up this category of children and who are out of work, we increased these benefits by four times under the president’s executive order. It used to be 1,200 roubles, if I am not mistaken, and now it is 5,500 roubles. That is one step in this direction and there will be more of course.

Natalia Zakharova (musical director, the state social service institution Murom Rehabilitation Centre for Children and Teenagers with Disabilities: May I follow up on this?  

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, of course.

Natalia Zakharova: I am Natalia Zakharova, the city of Murom, Vladimir Region, the Murom Rehabilitation Centre for Children and Teenagers with Disabilities. We have a unique institution: children come here from a very early age and take a rehabilitation curriculum. We provide various services: social-medical, social-educational and psychological-educational. Also very important, we provide consultations to families that are bringing up disabled children because sometimes a mother has no time to come to the social security department for a consultation. As it is, a mother will come to our centre and we offer counseling on practically every issue, including social benefits. A common question lately is this: a new category of child benefit has been introduced starting in January 2013. I would like to ask, who is entitled to this benefit?

Dmitry Medvedev: This is a much-discussed topic. You mean the new allowance at the birth of the third child?

Natalia Zakharova: Yes.

Dmitry Medvedev: We introduced this benefit for the regions where the birth rate is not yet as high as we would like it to be. I think there are 50 such regions.

Maksim Topilin: Yes, 50.

Dmitry Medvedev: The size of the allowance is determined by a certain formula depending on the region’s budget capacity. The allowance is paid until the age of three to families with three or more children. I think it’s not a bad way to encourage people to have more babies. But I stress that it is a regional measure because the situation varies: in the Caucasus, for example, it’s fairly good, and allowances would not make much difference, but in some regions it is a problem. That is why we have introduced this benefit and it is being paid in 50 regions as of January 1, 2013.

 Yulia Guseva (head of the visiting social service department for elderly  and disabled citizens, Novoloksky Social Services Centre, Ivanovo Region): May I ask a question?

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, please.

Yulia Guseva: It’s about young university graduates. I am Yulia Guseva, chief of the visiting social services institution in Ivanovo Region. We have gathered some statistics and, as has been mentioned, 80% of those who draw social benefits are women: social programmes have a female face.

Dmitry Medvedev: I said this at the start of our discussion.

Yulia Guseva: Unfortunately, only 12% of the workers in our sphere have a higher education although the universities turn out a fairly large number of specialists in our field every year.

Dmitry Medvedev: What about you yourself?

Yulia Guseva: I have a university degree; I have been working for 14 years. However, the majority of workers (30-40%) have a seniority of less than three years. This shows the high turnover of personnel in our discipline. I would like to ask you: how are we going to attract young graduates into our occupations, especially young men?

Dmitry Medvedev: How will we attract them? With higher pay and concern on the part of the state. I have already spoken about compensation, but I’ll repeat it: those who look for fast and easy money will not go to work in the social sphere. We are realists and we know that those who want to make money will go into business. This is not to say that we should not raise salaries, of course we have been raising them and will continue to raise them, and we are doing what I said earlier. But a person’s life is not all about money. Money is all very well, but housing is also very important.  Well, housing programmes for public-sector workers, for social workers are no less important than simply a mechanical increase of remuneration even to a decent level because even an average regional wage level is hardly enough to apply for, for example, a standard mortgage programme. What is needed is special mortgage programmes for public-sector workers. As we have agreed, such progammes must be made available. Naturally, we should do everything to make the mortgage rate and the down payment acceptable not only for a businessman, but also for a public-sector worker. That’s number one, or rather, number two.

Finally, number three. The system of encouragement and incentives should not be as primitive as in Soviet times, but it must exist. Tatyana Bulayeva said she wanted to win a competition. That’s absolutely normal; I think you all want to win.

Yulia Guseva: I also take part in the contests.

Dmitry Medvedev: The fact that we have such competitions…And we have what, 20 nominations? Twenty nominations at the federal level. And there are winners in the regions too. So, they too are entitled to some encouragement. This is important because it is a mark that what you are doing is important for the state. And it is very important for a person to be in demand, whatever his or her occupation.

Yulia Guseva: It is very important to raise the prestige of the occupation.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, so boosting the prestige of the profession is also a challenge for the state and for all those who are engaged in it. So, there are three elements: money, housing and appreciation on the part of the state by boosting the prestige of the social worker’s job.

Yulia Guseva: Thank you.

Unidentified voice: Vocational aptitude, a mission is the main thing.

Dmitry Medvedev: Well, you either have it or you don’t.

Voice: Neither money, nor anything else will retain a worker, only job satisfaction, vocational aptitude will.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, of course. Yulia Guseva was just saying that turnover…

Yulia Guseva: Yes, unfortunately, staff turnover is very high.

Dmitry Medvedev: Three years, then it's goodbye. That’s not great, but on the other hand, it’s good that people realise that they don’t have what it takes to work in this field. They leave, but new people come along.

Remark: There are no random people in our field.

Dmitry Medvedev: No, there are no random people, they don’t stay because it calls for professional skills and the right mindset.

I.Daurova (the head of expert staff of The Main Medical and Social Expert Examination Office for the city of Moscow under the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection):  I am the head of the pediatric medical and social expert examination service in Moscow. You understand that we are dealing with a very difficult category: not only the children, but children and their parents, and the parents of disabled children are a special caste, so to speak. We have big problems with premises. Can this problem be solved in Moscow? We serve only Muscovites, but our premises are just horrible.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. The Minister just signed a document on this subject, not for Moscow, but for the whole country in order to tackle this problem. It is not only a Moscow problem. It is a general problem that arose because certain institutions were put under the jurisdiction of the Labour Ministry. We’ll try to see what can be done on a nationwide scale, in the regions and at the federal level. It's a question of money above all, perhaps we can find some new premises. As regards Moscow, if it is a serious problem in Moscow, let me know and I’ll talk to the mayor. You know that it is more difficult to get things done in Moscow, Moscow is too big.

I.Daurova: Yes, they are pushing us out.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, pushing out, squeezing out.

I.Daurova: They are literally throwing us out onto the street.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. Mr Topilin, please provide the information and I’ll tell Sergei Sobyanin.

Yelena Danilova (mother of many children): May I?

Dmitry Medvedev: You may, you’ve been wanting to speak for some time, but you are a bit shy. Go ahead.

Yelena Danilova: I am Yelena Danilova, a mother of six children, my own children, I am already a grandmother…

Dmitry Medvedev: You don’t look it.

Yelena Danilova: We live in our own house…

Dmitry Medvedev: Where do you live?

Yelena Danilova: In Ramenskoye, Moscow Region. I think I am fulfilled as a woman, mother and wife, I am a very happy person. It is very hard bringing up children without faith, so the mutual affection and respect that reign in our family is the main thing, I think we are a very full and happy family. But I have a question. A lot is being done to support families with many children: land is being handed out, and the social security people take care of us, we have a very good social security service in Ramenskoye. We live on our own land, we have 800 square metres. When we tried to apply for a council flat we were rejected because we are rural dwellers (the village of Dergayevo) and we live in our own house. It made us different from the people who lived in flats. Many families in our town received flats, we have many families with many children. But because we own land we do not belong to that category. We live in our own house, but they count the overall area, so they do not put us on the waiting list.

Dmitry Medvedev: On the waiting list?

Yelena Danilova: Yes. But sometimes it is a summer place, some light structures, but they count everything, so there is a difference between us and urban dwellers… They can get land, but we cannot.

Dmitry Medvedev: You mean land you are entitled to under the law?

Yelena Danilova: Yes, under the law. So housing is a problem.

Dmitry Medvedev:  Would you like to get such land?

Yelena Danilova: Yes, in order to build a house.

Dmitry Medvedev: You want to build something? They don’t put you on the waiting list because you do not fit these criteria?

Yelena Danilova: That’s right.

Dmitry Medvedev: Let’s see what can be done.

Yelena Danilova: And then there is healthcare… Can you imagine if your child  falls ill you have to go to the outpatient clinic… We are bringing up the kids with my husband, we have no grandparents. I am a full-time housewife.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s great.

Yelena Danilova: So I have to take all the other kids along with me. Perhaps some kind of extended insurance policy could be introduced for families with many children, so that it also includes dental care…

Dmitry Medvedev: You mean a special health insurance scheme for families with many children. I understand. If there is an issue, we must think about it.

Yelena Danilova: The third problem is education. I am not saying anything new. Housing, healthcare and education. As it is, schools have to support families with many children. Skis, for example. We have to buy five pairs of skis, and school uniforms... Textbooks are free of charge, but all the other school things...

Y. Arefyeva: Can I chip in? Under the new standards, they have breakfast and lunch at school. I have four school-age children, and meals cost me 10,000 roubles.

T. Bulayeva: In the Belgorod Region families with many children are not charged for meals.

Dmitry Medvedev: Just for meals?

Yelena Danilova: Just for meals. For families with many children. And in the Moscow Region… Honestly, this is the situation here. And the parents’ committee also charges for security.

T. Bulayeva: We do not pay for security.

Dmitry Medvedev: You don’t pay for security?

T. Bulayeva: No, we have five kids at school, and they don’t have to pay. Families with many children enjoy that benefit.

Yelena Danilova: I’ll tell you what they charge for security: 2,630 roubles.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s for one child?

Yelena Danilova: That is for one child for a year. I argue and say, respect the rights of a mother with many children, let me pay 50%. What do they tell me? Two pupils per class can have a discount. Let's divide that between four at 50%, and there are 8-10 families entitled to benefits. I repeat, in Ramenskoye we have many families with many children, good decent families.

Dmitry Medvedev: That's good.

Yelena Danilova: First of all thank you very much… I did not expect that a mother with many children would ever be invited to the roundtable.

Dmitry Medvedev: Not a roundtable, but a table all the same.

Yelena Danilova: It doesn’t matter. It is a great honour for me, thank you very much.

Dmitry Medvedev: I understand. Let me just make a brief comment. I’ll try to sort out the situation with land, but I need more precise information on the situation there.

Yelena Danilova: I understand.

Dmitry Medvedev: As regards medical insurance for families with many children, it is a perfectly sound idea, we must think about it. Mr Topilin, please discuss it with the Health Ministry. Perhaps it does make sense to have this kind of special product, just in terms of medical insurance?

Yelena Danilova: And also, children under six get free medicines. For instance, a mother goes to the doctor and the doctor calls the pharmacy and is told that the drug is not in stock. So she has to buy it herself. And if one child falls ill they all fall ill one after another.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, unfortunately, that is a problem.

Yelena Danilova: My husband brings home his pay and I put aside money for utilities, food, medicines, birthdays…

Dmitry Medvedev: It’s good that you put aside money for birthdays because life is not all about problems, there are happy occasions sometimes. If children are deprived of birthday parties there would be no justification for that. As for the health insurance policy, please think about it (addressing Maxim Topilin).

Anna Krivoshlykova (teacher at the Kursk musical boarding school for the blind): My name is Anna Krivoshlykova. I work at the Kursk musical college for the blind, you have just seen our pupils performing. I would like to thank you for your warm assessment of our children. This tells you something about the highly skilled staff that we have. Three quarters of those who leave our college get a job or go on to study at university. There has been a lot of talk recently about inclusive education…

Dmitry Medvedev: Not only talk, but sometimes they even do something.

Anna Krivoshlykova: Yes, I wish they followed the inclusion principle when hiring our graduates, I want to see all of them get a job and have mentors at least in the initial period and get help from the work collective in order to help them adapt, at least at first.

And of course I would like to hear and discuss the issue of employment for the graduates of colleges and boarding schools, including for disabled children, and providing them with decent pay and some social benefits.

Dmitry Medvedev: You mean your college?

Anna Krivoshlykova: And all others.

Dmitry Medvedev: As regards other colleges I’ll tell you this: we now have a state in which everyone should seek a job independently, and I mean it. When it comes to disabled people that is a separate category of citizens for whom the representatives of the state and business should show concern.

I chaired a meeting not long ago, perhaps six months ago, Maxim Topilin took part in it, and it was devoted entirely to employment for people with disabilities. That is a major challenge for the state because unfortunately old forms of employment no longer work like they did in Soviet times. I deliberately invited employers, businessmen to this meeting and every businessman said why they were or were not ready to hire disabled workers. This applies particularly to talented children, like you have at your college. I have said that it is important for these kids not to get lost, so that they understand that they are being cared for. So what should be done? There needs to be a state system for the registration of such children and later on adults so that none of them fall through the net, so that we know how they are getting on. On the other hand, we must have a full picture of the vacancies they could fill. The state should spend money and effort on that. As for jobs for graduates of other education institutions, let them look for jobs themselves. This is absolutely normal. But we will do the programme for the disabled by all means.

Anna Krivoshlykova: If our children get this kind of tutelage and attention, I think…

Dmitry Medvedev: I’ll tell you what. I met your governor yesterday. He was sitting with me and was busy with cucumbers and tomatoes. He must take the lead. Tell Mikhailov (governor of the Kursk Region), let him attend to it.

Anna Krivoshlykova: I just wanted to say that they are very appreciative of any help.

Dmitry Medvedev: I understand. But attention should not come only from the top (from the Ministry), but there should be a register… It is good that you've come here, but it is very important that the Kursk Region and other regions (and you have children from different places) know that there is a gifted child who is unfortunately blind who should have a job waiting for him. So this type of general register is very important.

Yelena Sedulina (education psychologist at the state budget financed Gavrilo-Yamskoy Boarding House for Mentally Handicapped Children):As a token of gratitude and in memory of our meeting today on behalf of our children, our charges, I would like to thank you and to give you this, which our pupils made with their own hands.

Dmitry Medvedev: Lovely.

Yelena Sedulina: Yes, we want you to remember this meeting, it was really unusual and it solved many problems.

Dmitry Medvedev: Well, not many, but some.

Yelena Sedulina: Thank you very much.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you very much for your warm words and for your present. It’s very beautiful. The important thing is that it has been made by hand and not by a machine and not in one of the neighbouring countries where they usually make such things. So thank you very much.

For my part I would like to say this. Dear women, you are engaged in very challenging activities, whether you are raising many children or working in the social sphere. On behalf of the vast number of people whom you are helping, I would like to say thank you for this because after all we must say pleasant things to each other sometimes, and not only on March 8. But since we are on the eve of March 8, I would like you to convey my best wishes to your work collectives, to all the women who work side by side with you, and to your families.

And I would like to say that each of you will get a small present from me.