Foster care is not the same as legally adopting a child. In South Africa, where the HIV/AIDS pandemic has left thousands of children orphaned, much needed foster care is defined as follows: “Foster care is the placement of a child, who needs to be removed from the parental home, into the custody of a suitable family or person willing to be foster parents. This is done by order of the Children’s Court.”
Children can be removed from the custody of their biological parents if they are abused, neglected or abandoned. In South Africa, poverty contributes to abuse, neglect and abandonment, but these issues are not limited to poor communities.
Screening Prospective Foster Parents
Prospective foster parents are screened by welfare organisations to ensure they are suitable to take on the responsibility of caring for a child. The factors taken into account when screening applicants include:
- The age of the prospective foster parents.
- The health of the prospective foster parents.
- The family composition and income.
- The suitability of accommodation.
Although foster placement is temporary in nature, the screening process is taken seriously and always in the best interests of the child. Prospective foster parents will also be interviewed about their views on raising children and education, their attitude towards the biological parents, and their motivation to foster a child who is not their own. Religious and cultural factors are also taken into consideration, factors which may have considerable implications in a country made up of diverse ethnic groups.
The Rights and Responsibilities of a Foster Parent
South Africa has a current shortage of social workers. Nevertheless, social workers are responsible for the supervision of foster parents, which usually takes the form of annual house visits, unless there are problems related to the placement.
The obligations of foster parents include:
- Giving proper maintenance and care to the child
- Granting reasonable access to the child’s biological parents.
In South Africa, foster parents are permitted to discipline a child in their custody. They are not permitted to deal with any property belonging to the child, consent to the marriage of the child or to a medical procedure that may endanger the child’s life. And a foster child is not allowed to be taken out of South Africa without prior authorisation.
Financial Support for Foster Parents
Foster parents are permitted a foster child grant, which is paid by the state on a monthly basis to the foster parents in order to adequately maintain the child. In South Africa, foster parents may also apply to the state to waive the cost of school fees in the public school system.
Unless the biological parents are destitute, they are duty-bound to also contribute to the child’s maintenance. This contribution order is issued by the court.
Foster Care and HIV/Aids
Foster care is typically a temporary arrangement, although some foster parents care for children for a considerable length of time if family reunification programmes fail. Because of the temporary nature of foster care, however, children are not tested for HIV before they are placed in a foster home.
Children younger than 14 may have their HIV status disclosed to foster parents if it is known. On the other hand, there is no legal requirement preventing a person with HIV from fostering a child.
Applying to be a Foster Parent
In South Africa, prospective foster parents should contact the Department of Social Development in their area, which will then necessitate a screening process with a social worker and a house visitation.
Foster parents will then be summoned to appear before the Children’s Court, where the social worker will recommend that a child be placed with the suitable foster parents who have already undergone the screening process.
Foster Care and the Best Interests of the Child
In South Africa, as in many other parts of the world, thousands of children are in need of loving care in a stable family environment. Prospective foster parents who demonstrate suitability and proper motivation to social welfare authorities can offer these children a brighter future and the opportunity to achieve their full potential in life.
Read further about social development in South Africa and international foster care.
Marc de Chazal - Marc de Chazal is a writer and editor living in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. Visit his professional blog to view ...
