Alberton Child Welfare looking for foster parents

ALBERTON Child Welfare is urgently looking for foster parents.

The potential foster parents may apply to be temporary foster parents for three months or long-term parents for three years.

Child Welfare, a non-profit organisation (NPO), currently has more than 750 children in their care.

It plays a huge role in child protection and caters for children from Alberton, Thokoza, Greenfield and Eden Park.

Placing children and issues with foster care

Negligence

According to Zeenith Domingo, director of the Alberton Child Welfare, most foster children are victims of neglect and the severity varies from case to case.

“Child Welfare plays a huge role in ensuring that the children are taken to a temporary care centre when they were neglected by their parents.

“The duration for temporary safe care is three months.

“We work with the parents while the children are at the care centre. If parents are not complying with what we want, we then apply for an extension at the Children’s Magistrate’s Court,” said administrator Ruth Marisemhuka.

Within the temporary foster placement, biological parents have the liberty of six weeks to change their minds and take their child back.

Marisemhuka told the RECORD that they have had cases where parents stop using substances and they come to take their children back and Child Welfare cannot prevent them from doing so.

“Even though a parent can take their child back, the centre does random visits and assessments to check if the parent is still looking after the children,” she said.

Abandoned children

When parents have abandoned their child or children for varies reasons, Child Welfare intervenes to get the child to safety.

They first look for a relative or family member who is available to take care of the child or children.

If the biological parents do not come forward, a social worker compiles a report and presents it to the children’s court with recommendations.

Based on the social worker’s report, the presiding officer at the court may find the child to be in need of care and protection.

This is normally followed by the issuing of a court order approving the placement with the foster parent.

If the biological parents do not come forward, the process will continue.

Once the court order has been issued, you can apply for a foster child grant at your nearest South African Security Agency office.

Birth certificate issue

There are cases where maybe the biological parents are not South African citizens and the child doesn’t have SA identification.

If the possible foster parents are South African citizens, the presiding magistrate at the children’s courts will issue an order to the Department of Home Affairs to issue a birth certificate within three months.

“Home Affairs gets the order and they have to issue the unabridged birth certificate,” said Domingo.

Seeking donations

Child Welfare is in desperate need of financial assistance. Anyone who wishes to make a monetary donation can pay any amount into their bank account:

Bank: Absa

Account number: 9302099530

Account holder: Alberton Child Welfare (deposit plus account)

Reference: Donor’s name and surname.

Requirements to be a foster parent

Every potential foster parent has to meet requirements before they can foster a child or children and will undergo a crucial screening process to establish whether they’re fit to foster the child.

“We are stringent on foster parents because we are careful of sex offenders and paedophiles,” said Domingo.

She told the RECORD that every fostering process is done within the jurisdictions of the children’s court at Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court together with the Department of Social Development.

Foster parents are only able to foster a child for the period indicated in the court order.

Once the stated period of the court order has lapsed, the presiding officer may, after reviewing the recommendations from the social worker, extend the period of the court order.

Please use in a box

To qualify as a foster parent, you must:

• be fit and proper

• be willing and able to look after the child

• be able to provide a favourable environment for the child’s growth and development

• pass a criminal background check

• have a regular source of income to support your monthly expenses

• have some flexibility in your schedule to accommodate the foster children’s court-ordered visits, therapy and medical appointments.

Potential foster parents who want to foster temporarily and long term and are willing to do it wholeheartedly can contact Domingo on 011 907 3004/5 or send a fax to 011 907 3003 or email zeenith@albertonchildwelfare.co.za

For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.

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