Social workers can help reduce risk of failed adoptions says department

02 June 2015 - 22:27 By Rdm News Wire
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The Social Development department is advocating a change to the law so that social workers employed by government can process child adoption applications‚ as opposed to it being done only by adoption agencies.

The review of the child adoption process comes after two cases in which the adoptive parents applied to the courts for the rescission of adoption orders‚ citing violent behaviour and psychological problems.

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini said while the rescission of adoption orders is legally provided for‚ the instability it created was not good for the wellbeing of the adoptee.

“It is obviously highly unfortunate when adoptive parents entrusted with the wellbeing of children request a court of law to set aside an adoption order that was meant to be for life after spending only a few years with the children‚” Dlamini was quoted as saying on the SA government website.

Department spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said social workers must play a role in the adoption process to reduce the risk of failed adoptions because they have an intimate understanding of the circumstances of the children they work with.

Since 2003‚ Oliphant said‚ 23‚882 South African children have been adopted. Eighty-eight percent of these have been adopted by South Africans‚ whilst the rest were inter-country adoptions.

Earlier this year‚ The Times reported that the adoption system in South Africa is hamstrung by bureaucracy‚ documents that go missing‚ and inefficient court processes.

Nationally‚ according to a report by the National Adoption Coalition South Africa‚ adoptions saw a decrease of 40% from before the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 compared with the figures of less than a decade later. Last year‚ there were only 1‚448 adoptions.

Two main problems cited by would-be parents were the difficulties in obtaining unabridged birth certificates and a document that confirms an applicant is not on the Child Protection Register - a list of people considered unsuitable to work with or adopt children as a result of previous criminal convictions.

RDM News Wire.

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