Orphans would now get foster care in Goa
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 26 June 2013 18:53 IST
The unique foster care scheme was approved today, renaming it as ‘Vatsalya’ and rationalizing the monthly amount paid to the family to look after the child.
The scheme, proposed at the last cabinet meeting, was deferred to decide what to do if the biological parent claims ownership of the child in future.
“We could not decide anything about it as there is no defined solution for this problem”, said chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
The scheme, which was earlier called ‘Ashray’, was approved after rationalizing the monthly payment of Rs 2500 for all the age groups.
Earlier, the scheme had proposed to pay the family Rs 1500 per month for the age group up to six years, Rs 2000 between 6 to 14 years and Rs 2500 per month for a child between 14 to 18 years.
Adhering to the globally acclaimed theory of child’s right to family, the department of women and child development would implement the scheme.
The foster care would be provided to the children of broken families, crisis like abuse or illness, natural or man-made disasters, orphans, children in institutions, in conflict with law or where child’s safety is at risk.
The scheme has four kinds of foster care tenures – emergency placement, temporary or short term, long term till 18 years or up to 21 years as well as assessment placement for four months.
However, the scheme says only that family which is financially capable of looking after the child and not adopting the child only to get the benefit of monthly assistance would be chosen for foster care.
The Child Welfare Committee would examine the family thoroughly and then hand over the child for foster care.
Besides having adequate facilities in the house to provide comfort to the child, the family needs to sign an agreement and also undergo training and orientation programmes from time to time.
No family however would be allowed to place more than two children for foster care.
The family, as far as possible, should belong to a similar socio-economic and cultural milieu and no discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, ethnic status, disability or health status would decide the placement.
The basic rationale of the scheme is to provide the child with basic needs, love, care, health and security essential for the child’s emotional and psychological well-being.
The scheme prefers a relative or a family member for foster care but unrelated family is not ruled out, provided the arrangement is found to be in the best interest of the child.
