In response to claims by individuals on extortion and illegal adopting including family adoptions, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation today advised that under the Adoption of Infants Act, the adoption of children is the legal responsibility of the ministry.
Ministry permanent secretary Mr Govind Sami explained that there are various processes including legal requirements that adoptive parents or guardians need to adhere to.
“All application for Adoption must be filed in the Family Court, whereby the Court then directs the Department to provide the Court with the Guardian- at- Litem (GAL), which would include assessment of family income, number of children in the household, adoptive applicants’ background, and the family’s ability to provide care and stability for the child.
“With regards to children under the care of the “State” the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation wishes to advise that all adoptive parents and foster care parents will need to fill in the appropriate forms and be assessed by the Adoption Panel, which will assess and identify their suitability as adoptive parents before any placements are done. The interests of the child will be paramount,” Mr Sami said.
He said the assessments again will include findings about the number of children in the family, family income, background report on adoptive parents and police clearance.
On the Inter-Country Adoption, Mr Sami said this will only be possible after the signing of the Hague Convention, which will ensure that the rights of the child are protected in the new domain.
“For any assistance, individuals should liaise with the Child Services Division of the Ministry,” Mr Sami added.
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