The number of Russian children living in state care has more than halved over the past five years, government data has revealed.
The number of under-18s without parental care has fallen from 127,000 to 55,6000 since 2012, according to new figures from the government board of social work trustees.
More children are also being moved away from orphanages or government institutions, with 87 percent now receiving “family-based care.”
The government has since pledged to boost state foster agencies and family-based laws in a bid to continue the positive trend, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported.
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