Restoring sense of love for children

JAMAICA’S ADOPTION figures were not immediately clear, but according to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), as of March 31, there are 4,569 children in state care and just over 970 caregivers participating in the foster programme, some of whom have taken up to four children under their wings at one time. Others have been fostering Jamaica’s most needy children for decades.

In the financial year 2018-2019, there was a dip in the number of foster care homes from 771 to 752. Since then, the number of homes has been rising steadily, said the agency. For 2020-2021, roughly 1,021 homes were on the books, the CPFSA told The Sunday Gleaner last week. Additionally, some foster parents participate in the decade-long Take a Child Home holiday-placement programmes, which have been very successful, according to the CPFSA.

There are also provisions for kinship care placement, explained Rosalee Gage-Grey, CEO of the government entity, as she noted some of the benefits of adoption and foster care to restoring a sense of love that children – who many times enter state care after traumatic incidents that affect them physically and mentally – often yearn.

In Danielle’s case: “I have two mothers, two sources of love, and if I want to be real petty with it, anything I don’t get from one, I can always try to get from the other,” laughed the aspiring journalist. “But seriously, I have two sources of love, two sources of motivation with me always, and I am very proud and blessed for that.”

FOSTER CARE CHALLENGES

Nonetheless, according to Gage-Grey, there are challenges that come with foster care, in particular.

“(One of t hem) is foster parents wanting to adopt children who are not free for adoption. Foster care is a familybased placement. However, children in foster care remain wards of the state with family reintegration being a possibility if circumstances change. Unless biological parents are willing to relinquish their parental rights, these children are not free for adoption,” said Gage-Grey.

“Foster parents receive a $16,000 stipend every two months. Some parents have requested an increase in stipend,” said Gage-Grey, noting that the foster care stipend was almost doubled and clothing allowance increased by 25 per cent three years ago. “Foster parents may, however, access additional support [such as[ special assistance grants to assist with school or any other expense regarding the child,” she explained.

“Much of the developments in foster care over the last four years have stemmed from the agency’s focus on family-based care and a push to foster care as an alternative to institutional placements. This vision is encapsulated in the CPFSA Foster Care Improvement Plan, which currently guides the agency’s approach,” she said.