LTŠiame straipsnyje pristatomu tyrimu, remiantis istoriniais šaltiniais – teisės aktais, Vilniaus Vaikelio Jėzaus auklėjimo namų veiklos dokumentais ir šioje įstaigoje globotų vaikų bylomis, – bandoma nustatyti esmines institucinės tėvų globos netekusių vaikų globos charakteristikas Lietuvoje XVIII a. pab. – XX a. pr. Gautus duomenis lyginant su užsienio autorių darbais, nagrinėjusiais institucinę vaikų globą Vakarų ir Vidurio Europoje, bandoma nustatyti, ar aptariamuoju laikotarpiu Lietuvoje egzistavusi vaikų globos praktika reikšmingai skyrėsi nuo Vakarų ir Vidurio Europos šalių. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Modernioji visuomenė; Tėvų globos netekę vaikai; Institucinė vaikų globa; 18 amžius; 19 amžius; 20 amžius; Vilniaus Vaikelio Jėzaus auklėjimo namai; Modern society; Children deprived of parental care; Institutional childcare; End of 18th century – beginning of 20th century; Vilnius Child Jesus Education House.
ENThe research on the practices of institutional childcare are integral part of both social history and history of education in Europe and United States. The scholar positions of various authors from Western and Central Europe countries discussed in this article represents general view that the main principles of the institutional care in Europe had developed in the 18th century and had lasted until the beginning of 20th century. In some cases – even longer period. The main reasons for the genesis of institutional childcare and its development in the city communities are highly connected with the significant changes in both sociocultural and socioeconomic conditions of society’s life of modern society. Based on the statements of M. Foucault power-knowledge theory, the development of childcare institutions, governed by the state or civic bodies as well as the other social welfare institutions of the time was produce of the new discourse towards socially vulnerable groups of society. Which, practically implemented had to provide help for those who needed and through behaviour formation, education – normalization – prevent of spreading and systematically eliminate main social problems in society. In association with this, qualitative care for children deprived of the parental care was one of the main goals of social policies dedicated to decrease numbers of people in marginal groups and to increase productivity and efficiency of new members of society. Although in the case of Lithuania, there are lack of research, which could provide qualitative information about the goals, and practices of childcare in the period under discussion, the hypothesis of this research is that in Lithuania similar practices as in the European countries should have been existed.The research findings, based on analysis of legal documents of the period, administrational documents and individual cases of children who had lived in Vilnius Child Jesus Educational Home, had provided significant amount of information, which not only helps to prove the hypothesis, but also delivers better understanding about institutional childcare practices in Lithuania in historical times. The research results shows that the group composition of children under the institutional care was more diverse – the care was provided not only for orphan and abandoned children, but also for children who had living parents (mother), but who, because of health problems or socioeconomic difficulties could not provide satisfactory living conditions for their children. The cases of individual children and official statistics of the period had helped to reconstruct what fate had waited for children placed under the institutional care. The children could be adopted, placed under the care of wet nurses, could be transferred to other childcare institutions, could be given to the care for private personalities, could be taken care in the Educational Home until they mature and could take care of themselves. Sadly, in most cases (70–94 percent.) abandoned children, placed under the care in Educational Home had died before the age of one. [From the publication]