An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home devoted to the care of orphans and of children who, for various reasons such as parental death, absence, abuse, substance abuse or mental illness in the biological home, or a parent simply unwilling to care for the child, cannot be cared for by their biological families. Government-run orphanages have been phased out in most developed countries since the later twentieth century, though they continue to operate in many other regions, and it is now generally accepted that orphanages are detrimental to children's emotional wellbeing, so government support goes increasingly toward supporting the family unit instead. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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Orphanages and almshouses developed as parallel charitable institutions of poor relief, the former for parentless children and the latter for the destitute and elderly, often administered by the same religious or civic bodies.
Orphan care in early modern Europe was frequently organized at the parish level, with the parish system responsible for identifying and supporting parentless children within its bounds.
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Orphanage (Wikipedia)
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An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families.
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