Families in Bengal have started taking children for foster care but those associated with the process stressed the need to spread awareness so more people come forward to take in kids without a home.
Bengal government officials said the foster care programme was formally launched in the state last year. Till now, three children have found foster parents. Among them is a girl, who has been taken for foster care by a couple whose son died of Covid, said officials.
There are approximately 4,000 children staying in registered childcare institutions or children’s homes across the state.
“We are encouraging parents to take children without a family for foster care. The foster care programme is mainly for children who have been declared free for adoption but are not finding parents, and so are having to stay in childcare institutions,” said an official in the department of women and child development and social welfare, which oversees the foster care programme.
“Foster care has been in practice in India for long. Many children are raised in extended families or outside the families. Now, detailed guidelines have been prepared for the purpose.”
There are many parents whose children have gone away to work or study. “Many such parents want to foster another child,” said the official.
A formal adoption usually takes three-and-a-half to four years. It takes about two months to get a child for fostering, the official said.
“Also, for legal adoption, the total age of the parents should not be more than 110. Under the foster care programme, that age criteria is not there,” she said.
Parents who want to foster children are first trained in fostering for two days. Then they are urged to spend a week with the child, who is usually in a childcare institution or a home.
“We urge the family to take the child out so that they become familiar with each other,” the official said.
The Kolkata couple who had lost their son to Covid went to a home in Murshidabad to spend time with the girl they wanted to foster, the official said.
“Our foster care programme is different from other states where the authorities encourage paid foster care. The government pays an amount to the foster parents. But in Bengal, we encourage voluntary foster care,” said the official.
Who are usually chosen for foster care?
Children who are in the “hard to place” category are mostly chosen for such care. The kids who are not finding parents even in two years since being declared free for adoption are in this category.
“Children with special needs and those who are usually above the age of 12 are hard to be placed for adoption, although there are exceptions,” said the official. Also, children whose parents are in jail and have no one to take care of them can be given for foster care with the consent of the biological parents.
Can the child in foster care be adopted later?
If the parents successfully raise a foster child for two years, then the child can be adopted, said the official. However, at the time of adoption, the total age of the parents should not be more than 110 years.
How to ensure that a foster child is being raised properly?
The state government has drawn up detailed guidelines for foster care and safeguards. The child and the foster family or caregivers are counselled. Not more than two children shall be placed for foster care in a family at a time and the number of children, including biological children, should not exceed four in the family. Exceptions are granted for siblings and twins who should preferably be kept in one family.
When can foster care placement be terminated?
The arrangement can be terminated if there is a complaint by the child, relatives or members of the community, and if an inquiry by the district child protection unit reveals:
- Education of the child has stopped/attendance in school has dropped because of negligence.
- The child has been/is being subjected to abuse or neglect.
- The child has been/is engaged in labour.
- Foster parents are no longer fit to meet the child’s social, emotional and developmental needs
- Difficulties in the foster family such as the death of a family member or financial problems that is affecting the child’s upbringing.
- The family or the child is unable to adjust.
- If an inspection reveals criminal neglect or physical, sexual or emotional abuse of the child
What are the responsibilities of the foster family?
The foster family shall provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, education and nutrition. They should provide care, support and treatment for child’s overall physical, emotional and mental health and support higher education requirements. They must ensure that child’s whereabouts are always known.