<p>At present, Russia does not have laws regulating training for foster parents.<br />Russian families wishing to adopt an orphan are not obliged to undergo any special psychological training prior to approval of a formal adoption.<br /><br />"A (parental) candidate and the family (adoption) centres must realise this is a global responsibility," Medvedev said during a visit to an orphanage in Russia's Ivanovo region, Xinhua reported, quoting the Interfax news agency.<br /><br />The president called parenting "a super serious matter". He said that to obtain a driver's licence one had to pass more rigorous exams than those who wish to adopt a child.<br /><br />In 2010, the number of orphans in Russia reached 697,000. This exceeded the 678,000 parentless children immediately after World War II, when Russia lost 27 million people.<br /><br />Two thirds of present-day orphans have living parents who abandoned them. However, to abandon a child in Russia, a parent needs only to produce a hand-written note to the local custody office.</p>
<p>At present, Russia does not have laws regulating training for foster parents.<br />Russian families wishing to adopt an orphan are not obliged to undergo any special psychological training prior to approval of a formal adoption.<br /><br />"A (parental) candidate and the family (adoption) centres must realise this is a global responsibility," Medvedev said during a visit to an orphanage in Russia's Ivanovo region, Xinhua reported, quoting the Interfax news agency.<br /><br />The president called parenting "a super serious matter". He said that to obtain a driver's licence one had to pass more rigorous exams than those who wish to adopt a child.<br /><br />In 2010, the number of orphans in Russia reached 697,000. This exceeded the 678,000 parentless children immediately after World War II, when Russia lost 27 million people.<br /><br />Two thirds of present-day orphans have living parents who abandoned them. However, to abandon a child in Russia, a parent needs only to produce a hand-written note to the local custody office.</p>