Amidst case backlog, Human Services Ministry pushes for adoption of older children

Mar 01, 2021 News

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Kaieteur News-With over 150 children between the ages of nine and sixteen in childcare institutions across the country, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), have been lobbying the public to increase the adoption of older children.
The push for adoption of older children comes amidst reports of a backlog in adoption cases. According to Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, older children represent 25 to 30 percent of those currently in the childcare system.
Dr. Persaud noted that these children are often over overlooked because of their age. Many of them she said remain in the homes until “they age out,” of the system without being afforded the opportunity to experience or benefit from an ideal family setting.
“It is really sad because when most people think about adopting, they automatically think of a baby or toddler but these older children are in need of just as much love and support as the babies. We want to draw the public’s attention, particularly those who are thinking of adopting to the situation of the older children,” the Minister said in an interview with Kaieteur News.
Dr. Persaud stressed too, that institutional care is not ideal for the transition of children into adulthood.

“The ideal situation would be for these children to be reunited with their families or with loving families who adopt them,” she lamented.
The Minister noted that unlike foster care, adoption which is the legal process of taking responsibility for a child or children, takes longer.
“There are a number of legal and procedural hurdles to cross before the actual adoption is complete. There is the interviewing, monitoring and assessment process that is involved to ensure that the applicants who want to adopt have the necessary facilities to take care of the children before the process is finalised. It could take years, that‘s why we are appealing for persons to start the process as early as possible because after the age of 18, the children are no longer eligible,” she added.
As such, part of their efforts to address the issue, the Ministry and its partners have released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) appealing for the adoption of older children in the system.
According to Dr. Persuad, the Ministry has been working with the CPA and the adoption board to spread awareness about the issue.
The Minister said that the objective of the PSA “is to hopefully get more people to adopt the older children.”
The PSA which features video clips and messages from First Lady Arya Ali and Chairman of the adoption board Anya Rahaman-Persaud and Director of the CPA Ann Green, has circulated on social media or on television over the past several weeks.
Their message encapsulated the call for persons to give consideration to the older children in the system a chance at adoption.
In her appeal to the public, the Adoption Board Chairman emphasized “No matter their ages, the children need loving and supportive families to provide the necessary tools for them to grow socially, spiritually and emotionally… They too need to experience and understand the role of a family in the system of socialisation”.
BACKLOG
As current chairman of the newly installed adoption board, Rahaman-Persaud and members of her team which include Subhadra Sukhai; Anuradha Persaud; Vanessa Benn; Sarah Ibrahim; Dwayne Adams; Sylvia Conway and Anne Greene, Director of CPA, as an ex-Officio member/secretary have the task of addressing the backlog of adoption cases.
Kaieteur News understands that the backlog of cases is due to the board not being functional for an entire year leading up to the installation of the new committee which held its first meeting in November of last year.

This newspaper was informed that as a result there are more than thirty cases in the system that should have been dealt with last year but were not addressed owing to the several issues which affected the functions of the board.
Additionally, this newspaper was told that the board processes at least 40 local and international applications for adoption, annually.
The cases from last year have been rolled over to the applications for this year, thus, increasing the work of the board.
During the interview with this publication, Minister Persaud disclosed that the new board started working towards clearing the backlog.
The Minister noted too, that while efforts are being made to clear the excess cases, there has been increased focus on reviewing the local Adoption Act.

ADOPTION ACT REVIEW
She noted that at present, the amendment of the Act will provide for the insertion of the new Second Schedule of the Principal Act – Hague Convention of May 19, 1993, on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
According to Dr. Persaud, it will allow for more scrutiny regarding international adoption to protect the nation’s children from exploitation, trafficking and abuse.
Among other things, the Act will provide for a home study report on prospective adoptive parents to be conducted by the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
These include criminal checks and a full, complete statement of all facts relevant to the eligibility of the prospective parents under the Hague Convention.
In the interim, the Government halted international adoption since Guyana was not complying with its obligations as a signatory to the Hague Convention.
She said once the legislation is amended, international adoption will resume and all international guidelines will be followed to ensure adopted children are placed in a safe and comfortable environment.
In the meantime, the adoption board continues to work to address the local adoptions to assist children who may have been institutionalised due to neglect, abuse or any other unfortunate circumstances.

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