Coalition unhappy with Social Development’s R100k adoption claim

07 September 2015 - 12:57 By RDM News Wire

A recent statement by the Department of Social Development (DSD) could make prospective adopters wait for it to provide “free and cheap adoptions‚ while millions of orphans remain in orphanages”. The National Adoption Coalition (NAC) on Monday took umbrage with the way the DSD announced its plan for “social workers to provide adoption services in a bid to curb the high cost of adoptions and make it easier for ordinary families to adopt children”.The NAC said it “lauded” the department’s intention to “train and skill government social workers in the specialised adoption practice…as indeed there is a shortage”.The NAC said “the spirit in which such an announcement was made is deeply harmful and dishonest in its treatment of child protection organisations and social workers in private practice”.“DSD’s statement that ‘adoption agencies charge no less than R100000 to manage the adoption process of a single child’‚ is both irresponsible and inaccurate‚” the NAC statement said.“Not only is it untrue‚ but it paints child protection organisations (CPOs) who do exceptionally important work in an unfairly poor light.“The primary losers in this political fracas are the millions (not thousands!) of adoptable children who will be left without any hope of a loving home due to bureaucratic red tape and political posturing.”The NAC statement said:- The Children's Act 38/2005 actually makes provision for the payment of fees in respect of an adoption to a CPO and these fees are regulated by it;- The NAC “has been consistently lobbying the DSD to give attention to the regulation of the fees in respect of adoption social workers in private practice to bring it in line with those of CPOs”;- Given that adoption fees are regulated by the DSD‚ it would be “difficult for a CPO to charge R100,000 for a single adoption”;- These fees are “declared in a formal report and if the department picked up that some agencies are charging R100,000‚ why have they not investigated such outrageous fees being charged by organisations?”; and- “The fees are derived from the costs of detailed assessments‚ pre-adoption workshops and preparation‚ counselling‚ administrative fees (often involving months of work)‚ court preparation‚ legal documentation and court reports‚ ongoing consultation with DSD at both a provincial and national level‚ medical fees‚ and so on.”“What government should rather have been putting out there‚ is that once government social workers are able to process adoptions‚ it will open up a new option for prospective adopters wishing to adopt‚” the NAC said‚ “But that it works hand in hand with all the other role players in the adoption community‚ who also provide an excellent service to help people with the adoption process.“The NAC is constantly trying to recruit adoptive parents in what is a national crisis. Putting out a false message that it costs R100,000 to adopt is wholly counter-productive and irresponsible‚ as it discourages anyone from coming forward to adopt.”..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.