A meeting was organized at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology of Baku State University (BSU) with Cavid Shahmaliyev, the Head of the Department of Work with Children Deprived of Parental Care at the Social Services Agency of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population. The meeting was held with students majoring in Social Work and focused on the topic of “Foster Family as an Alternative Care Form.”

Cavid Shahmaliyev provided information on the essence of foster families, their differences from adoption, the necessity of establishing the foster family institution in society, and its current status. He emphasized that the implementation of the "Foster Family" care model allows children deprived of parental care to grow up in family environments rather than social institutions, fostering their development in a family setting. He also mentioned that the state policy, regulation, and oversight in the area of foster families, implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population following the decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on February 15, 2022, have been successfully carried out. Shahmaliyev further informed students about the role and duties of social workers in the regulation of adoption and foster care, as well as the Gatekeeping mechanism in foster care.

The meeting continued in an interactive format with discussions on the topic.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequality and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions