Orphanage

An orphanage is defined as "An Institution that houses children whose parents are deceased or whose whereabouts are unknown." It is a public institution created to provide care for protection for children without parents.

The term is generally considered outmoded in the United States, although it is frequently used to describe institutions abroad, where it is a more accurate term, since the word orphan has a different definition in international adoption. An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of large numbers of children.

Although many people presume that most children who live in orphanages are orphans, this is often not the case with four out of five children in orphanages having at least one living parent and most having some extended family. Most orphanages have been closed in the West. There remain a large number of state funded orphanages in the former Soviet Block but many of them are slowly being phased out in favour of direct support to vulnerable families and the development of foster care and adoption services where this is not possible.

Few large international charities continue to fund orphanages; however, they are still commonly founded by smaller charities and religious groups. Some orphanages, especially in developing countries, will prey on vulnerable families at risk of breakdown and actively recruit children to ensure continued funding, orphanages in developing countries are rarely run by the state.

Other residential institutions for children can be called group homes, children's homes, refuges, rehabilitation centers, night shelters, or youth treatment centers.