ADOPTING A child
Before you embark on the adoption process, it helps if you understand who the key players are and the role that each of them will play, writes Karen Read
SOCIAL WORKER Without a doubt, the social worker is the main player in the adoption process. Social workers in private practice in South Africa have to be accredited by the Department of Social Development and registered with their professional body, the South African Council for Social Service Professions.
This means they must adhere to strict codes of ethics and are accountable for their professional conduct. The same stringent registration requirements apply to adoption agencies in South Africa.
Your social worker will screen you, assessing everything from your motivation to adopt to your suitability to adopt.
The screening process will cover a review of your application, interviews, a psychological assessment, and eventually a home visit.
During the process, she will help you discern the type of child you or your family are best equipped to adopt. For example, you may be willing to adopt a baby who has special needs but you may lack the essential support systems necessary to provide such a child with the best care.
A good social worker will help you figure that out and help you navigate what is very much a bureaucratic and legal process.
But it’s also a very intimate process. You will feel vulnerable and therefore need to work with a social worker with whom you (and your partner) can be open and honest. Your social worker will ultimately “match” you with a baby or
child, as opposed to finding a baby or child for you.
Elke Day, a social worker who specialises in adoption, says this is an important distinction for prospective adoptive parents to understand upfront. “Finding parents for babies is a key concept. This is why it is frowned upon in adoption circles for people to go to a children’s home to ‘look at the babies’ with adoption in mind, because this can lead to emotional decisions being made and not every child in a children’s home is adoptable.
“Good practice is to screen a candidate for adoption and then ‘match’ them with a child,” she explains.
The best way to find a social worker who you could work well with is to ask friends who’ve adopted if they would recommend their social worker, and if so, why. While efficiency is essential, you might rate empathy as most important.
ADOPTION AGENCY Arguably, the next biggest player in the process is the adoption agency. Many prospective adoptive parents begin by choosing an adoption agency and in the process get assigned a social worker There may be good reasons to start with an agency.
Although the law in South Africa is very permissive as to who can adopt – there are no restrictions on the age (over 18), gender, marital status, income or sexual orientation of prospective adoptive parents – agencies tend to have their own policies based on their values and beliefs or those of the communities in which they operate.
For example, an agency may place children with married couples only or it may place black children only. You need to know this if you are single or if you are not black and want to adopt a child who is the same race as you.
Day says researching agencies is a good idea, but don’t believe everything you read on social media, she warns. Check out the websites of a number
IN PRETORIA SITS A SEEMINGLY ALL-POWERFUL BUREAUCRATIC MONSTER: THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
of agencies and if you don’t find the information you’re looking for, call them up and ask to speak to a social worker. “A lot of factors come into play, including costs, location, time frames and the service that you will be provided,” she says.
“Ask about fees – rates for professional and administrative services – but understand that the agency might not be able to give you an exact figure upfront. Different factors influence the time involved in each case.
The screening process is more or less standard, but the matching process can take longer, depending on each case’s specific circumstances, she says.
THE COURTS Although the procedures may vary slightly, depending on the jurisdiction, the Children’s Court plays a key role – more specifically, the presiding officer at the Children’s Court.
He or she must ensure that everything is submitted by the social worker (documents and report) in order to confirm the adoptability of the child, according to the legal requirements, and that the adoptive parents are “fit and proper” as well as “willing and able” to be entrusted with and exercise, full parental responsibilities and rights in respect of the child. The presiding officer signs the adoption order before it is sent to the Department of Social Development (DSD).
DSD In Pretoria sits a seemingly all-powerful bureaucratic monster: the national Department of Social Development (DSD). Among other things, DSD issues you with the all-important letter stating whether or not you are on the Sexual Offences Register; administers the Register for Adoptable Children and Parents – a.k.a. the national list of screened parents and adoptable children; and stamps your final adoption order, which enables you to go to Home Affairs to apply for a new unabridged birth certificate which will identify you, the adoptive parent(s) as mother and/or father of the child. The DSD monster is actually nothing to fear, as long as you submit your paperwork correctly and under the guidance of a competent social worker. YB If you have more specific questions about players in the process, contact social worker Elke Day at elkeday@adopticare.co.za or check out www.adoption.org.za.