Ministry comes up with SOP on child adoption

KUCHING: The Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development has come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) on child adoption.

Its minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the SOP, which has all the important points, is contained in a booklet to become a guideline with regard to child adoption.

"The ministry has come up with a SOP with regard to child adoption because we want child adoption to be carried out properly and to make sure that the certificates are issued based on the correct procedure… and for these reasons we have produced a booklet to have a clear guideline for child adoption," she told reporters yesterday.

Fatimah pointed out that the booklets would be distributed to all district offices across the state next week.

She had earlier chaired Sarawak Social Development Council (SSDC) meeting at Wisma Kebajikan, Jalan Sultan Tengah here.

According to her, a proper child adoption process would make the issuance of citizenship easier and faster.

She further pointed out that the SOP, which is comprehensive and clear, is an improved process from the previous one.

"It is high time for us to produce a booklet which is very comprehensive and a clear guideline for the district officers, both the old and new officers, who have the statutory power to approve child adoption," she stressed.

On the meeting, she said it was attended by 25 agencies under SSDC and discussed several issues like drug and substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and other emerging issues.

Present were Assistant Minister of Community Wellbeing Datuk Francis Harden Hollis and Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus.