A children's home in Lviv region is set to undergo reorganization following a scandal involving child abuse.

The Department of Education and Science of the Lviv Regional State Administration proposes to reorganize the Velykolyubinsky Educational and Rehabilitation Center (formerly an orphanage) by transforming it into a branch of the Multifunctional Educational and Rehabilitation Center of St. Nicholas located in Bryukhovychi. It is worth noting that the Velykolyubinsky orphanage found itself in the center of a scandal following the statement by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets regarding the violence perpetrated by the director and staff against the institution's wards. Currently, the parents of the children in the center fear that the reorganization may be the first step towards its closure.

The reorganization of the Velykolyubinsky NRC was discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on education, as reported on January 14 by the Lviv Regional Council. This initiative was announced by the Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Science of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Olena Urdiy.

“The regional authorities are considering the possibility of reorganizing the Velykolyubinsky NRC by establishing a branch of the communal institution of the Lviv Regional Council, the Multifunctional Educational and Rehabilitation Center of St. Nicholas,” – they stated in the Lviv Regional Council.

The initiative to reorganize the Velykolyubinsky NRC into a branch is explained by the LOVA as the St. Nicholas Center in Bryukhovychi is overcrowded. At the same time, in Velykyi Lyubin, with a minimal need for 50 students, only about 20 children are currently enrolled.

“There are not many children in the institution, and this is one of the problems they face and understand. The Department of Education proposed to the founder, the Lviv Regional Council, to create a branch of the St. Nicholas Center. Both the director of the institution and the department consider this proposal reasonable. I believe we will address this issue at one of the upcoming meetings concerning the future development of the institution,” – noted the Deputy Chair of the parliamentary committee on education, Paraskoviya Dvoryanyn.

Paraskoviya Dvoryanyn clarified to ZAXID.NET that the department has not yet submitted a draft resolution on the reorganization of the Velykolyubinsky NRC to the committee. It is likely that such a project will be considered at one of the next committee meetings.

Parents of the institution's wards present at the committee expressed concerns about the future of the facility, as the proposed reorganization may be the first step towards its closure. It is important to note that the Velykolyubinsky NRC is currently an independent entity, and a decision by the Lviv Regional Council session is required to terminate it, while the formation of a branch simplifies the legal pathway to closure.

Additionally, Olena Urdiy, the Deputy Director of the Department of Education of LOVA, released the results of an internal investigation regarding the situation at the Velykolyubinsky NRC. She mentioned that the center's director was reprimanded for violating labor discipline and was dismissed from their position. A temporary acting head has now been appointed to the institution.

The official assured that sufficient funds have been allocated in the regional budget for 2025 to ensure the operation of the institution – for salaries, utilities, energy supplies, food, and the upgrade of the material and technical base.

It is worth recalling that in September of last year, the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada on Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, accused the head of the Velykolyubinsky Multifunctional Educational and Rehabilitation Center of violence against the wards. The police opened a criminal case, and LOVA initiated an internal review, during which 64-year-old Stepan Mashchak was suspended from work. He had led the orphanage for about 20 years.

Moreover, one of the center's educators has been notified by the police of suspicion for child abuse. The court found educator Svitlana Podusivska guilty of a criminal offense, sentencing her to 100 hours of community service and prohibiting her from working in positions related to the upbringing and education of children for a year.