Widespread poverty has forced many vulnerable families to rely increasingly on public care institutions as a form of social safety net. The number of children in residential care has increased by almost one third since 1999, with around 11,000 children in 53 special boarding schools and 900 children living in eight state orphanages. Most of these children have at least one living parent.
The number of infants in residential care (infant homes) has also increased over the years. The children living in infant homes are 0 to 3 years old, the age group for which institutionalization is the most harmful.
There is no information available in the UNICEF TransMONEE 2004 database on children in foster or guardianship care.
In 2002, 178 Armenian children were adopted nationally and internationally. There has been an increase in the number of adoptions since 2000.
