Every child deserves a safe and secure environment to live in. It becomes very sad to witness a child uncared for, or living in conditions that no human is supposed to.
Sadly, these are conditions that are due to parents being deceased, parents abandoning their kids, parents being unable to provide basic necessities for their kids and many other societal issues. Child fostering is a legal process that allows 18-year-olds and older persons willing to look after a child in a safe and good home environment a chance to take care of them. Following is all you need to know about child fostering as explained by the South African Government.
You can apply to your nearest Department of Social Development office or an accredited child protection organisation to foster a child. You will be referred to a social worker who will conduct an investigation. The social worker will assess you and the child.
Submit the following:
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- An affidavit stating that the child is abandoned (if applicable)
- Death certificates of the parents (if applicable)
- Birth certificate of the child. If the child does not have a birth certificate, the social worker will assist you in obtaining the birth certificate.
- Your identity document.
The biological parents must be involved in the process. If you do not know where the biological parents are, the social worker will assist you in placing an advertisement in newspapers for one month, calling on them to come forward. If the biological parents do not come forward, the process will proceed.
The child must be involved in the entire process. The social worker will compile a report and present it to the Children’s Court with recommendations. Based on the social worker’s report, the presiding officer at the court may find the child to be in need of care and protection.
The presiding officer will issue a court order approving the placement of the child with the foster parent. The court order will show the names of the foster parent, the foster child and the duration of the foster placement.
Once the court order has been issued, you can apply for a foster child grant at your nearest South African Security Agency office. The child may also be exempted from paying fees at a public school and public healthcare institutions. For the child to be exempted from paying school fees, you have to fill in the exemption form which is available from the school and submit a letter of recommendation from the social worker to the school.
