THE FORMATION OF THE SOCIAL AND PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTIONS FOR HOMELESS AND UNATTENDED CHILDREN IN UKRAINE (FROM THE 20S TO THE 30S YEARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY)

Abstract

The article analyzes the types and the contents of the social and pedagogical institutions activities for homeless and unattended children in Ukraine from the 20s to the 30s years of the 20th century. It was found out that at the beginning of the 18th century the researchers made the initial attempts to identify such concepts as “shelterlessness” and “homelessness”. The shelterless children were orphans and children who could not earn for their living.The homeless children were the children who lived in the streets. The analyzed results demonstrated that in the national pedagogy there were researched the concepts of the “unattended children”, “children’s shelterlessness” and “children’s homelessness” in the 20s and 30s years of the 20th century. The category of “homeless children” includes the children who are deprived of housing and sheltering. The number of those children was not numerous in Ukraine in the period under study.According to the archival materials the unattended children included the children who had parents but did not receive their necessary supervision, assistance, guidance and sheltering. Besides, the persons who were instead of parents had a detrimental effect on the children’s moral and health. The shelterless children included the under-17-years-old teenagers who were left by their parents or the persons who were instead of them. Being left by their parents or the persons who were instead of them the shelterless children were under the conditions affecting their physical and mental health adversely. Having no permanent place for living these children were begging. Orphans and half-orphans also belonged to this category of children.According to the scientific and pedagogical sources there were three categories of homeless children in the 20s and 30s years of the 20th century. They were the children who were in this state for a short period of time and did not cause difficulties for pedagogical work. They were also the children who had already had the antisocial habits and professional offenders. They needed the purposeful pedagogical influence and special conditions for living.The social and pedagogical institutions that were active in combating children’s homelessness, children’s shelterlessness and with unattended children included preventative institutions (canteens, children’s towns, shelters, dormitories etc.) as well as institutions for the teenagers’ studying and assisting. They were distribution receivers, collectors, children’s institutions at the factories and plants and stationary institutions such as different types of orphanages.