Child Protection Week campaign puts spotlight on adoption

As the country gears up to mark Child Protection Week, the Department of Social Development (DSD) has encouraged South Africans to seek alternative care for their children if they are unable to care for them.

This year Child Protection Week runs from Wednesday May 29 to Wednesday June 5, with the theme being “Every conversation matters, every child in every community needs a fair go”.

Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu has urged South Africans to adopt children to ensure their protection.The department is currently on a drive to raise awareness about upholding the rights of children, and mobilising society to protect children against violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

“Adoption, which is viewed as the most permanent placement option for children who are orphaned and vulnerable, remains underutilised in South Africa. This leaves children who have no immediate alternative care within their extended families exceptionally vulnerable to the long-term effects of institutionalisation,” Ms Zulu said.

According to Section 28 of the Bill of Rights, Chapter Two of the Constitution of South Africa, every child has the right to parental and family care or to appropriate alternative care when removed from family care. As per this constitutional provision, the minister said, government has to provide alternative care for children when their parents or families cannot fulfil their duties of care.

Meanwhile, Section 233 of the Children’s Act also stipulates that if the parent is a child, a guardian must assist that child. The department stated that adoption is one of the alternative care placement options and forms part of the comprehensive child protection system.

South Africa currently has orphaned children due to factors such as violent crime, gender-based violence (GBV), HIV/Aids, and the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed many lives worldwide, Ms Zulu added.

“On the other hand, some children are abandoned due to the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality which culminate into multiple social ills including unwanted pregnancy.

“Adoption, therefore, serves as the best possible option or alternative for these children, only if there are no prospects to reunite them with their parent(s) or families,” said Ms Zulu.

“Although adoption is a person’s or a family’s choice, it is important to promote adoption services and recruit prospective adoptive parents within the country.”

The department acknowledged there could be barriers, which may prevent people from adopting children, such as cultural obstacles.

Between April 2010 and March 2024, the department recorded 16 593 national adoptions. In addition to these, there were 2 239 inter-country adoptions, which brought the total of registered adoptions to 18 832.

The DSD announced it has employed 412 social workers registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professionals (SACSSP) and have since been armed to provide adoption services.

The Children’s Act also makes provision for foster care as an alternative form for children who cannot be cared for by their biological parents.

“Foster care is a court-ordered care of a child that needs care and protection, placing the child in a cluster foster care scheme or a suitable person other than a biological parent or a guardian,” Ms Zulu said.

“As part of foster care, the Children’s Act introduced the concept of cluster foster care placement which is aimed to maximise the available resources, strengthening the provision of foster care services to children including those with special needs within a community-based setting.”

The department explained that children who are placed in foster care with a valid court order gain access to the package of government services that include therapeutic services, psychosocial support services, education, healthcare and foster child grants.

“The purpose of foster care is to create an opportunity for children in need of care and protection to live in a protective, nurturing, stable and secure family environment. It requires the facilitation of reunification of the child with the parents or other safe and nurturing family relationships that will ensure stability in a child’s life,” Ms Zulu added.

By February 2008, the number of children in foster care was 454 000, and by the end of March this year, it had decreased to 306 683, with the recipients receiving grants.