(John McCann/M&G)
If you are a South African citizen living in the country and want to adopt a South African child, you are eligible to apply for what is called a national adoption.
Katinka Pieterse, the director of Abba Specialist Adoption & Social Services and chairperson of National Adoption Coalition of South Africa (Nacsa), the umbrella body for adoption services, has given an outline of what a national adoption entails.
What the law says
Because adoption is a legal process with implications for a child, it is a time consuming, meticulous process that ensures a child their rights and a suitable permanent family.
The Children’s Act and the Social Service Professions Act prescribe who can provide adoption services:
- Accredited adoption social workers in private practice who have specialised in adoption services and are registered in terms of the Social Services Professions Act;
- Designated and accredited Child Protection organisations — in other words an accredited adoption agency; and
- Social workers employed by the department of social development who have a speciality in adoption services and are registered in terms of the Social Services Professions Act.
Pieterse and the social development department said the following steps are required when people consider adopting a child.
- Contact an accredited adoption organisation or adoption social worker. A list of designated and accredited child protection organisations can be found at www.adoption.org.za ;
- The organisation will conduct a thorough screening process to determine if you are fit and proper to adopt a child. This step includes filling out forms, interviews and a home visit;
- After the screening process is completed, and if it is successful, your name will be put on the Register of Adoptable Children and Adoptive Parents. At this stage you are likely to participate in preparation workshops on adoption and get guidance on the integration process between you and a child;
- The organisation will inform you when a child is available;
- After a successful matching with a child — who must have been given up for adoption — a report is sent by the adoption agency to the provincial department of social development for a final recommendation. The report is then submitted to the children’s court to finalise the adoption and issue an adoption order. Children are placed with their adoptive parent/s pending the finalisation of the adoption. Social workers report during the adoption proceedings in court on how the child is adjusting to the adoptive parent. The court then sends the adoption order to the registrar of adoptions at the national department of social development. After the adoption is registered, the adoption order is sent to the adoptive parent/s who can then apply for the noting of the adoption and the amendment of the birth details at the department of home affairs; and finally
- The child has been handed over to you but the final adoption order may take years because the child’s birth certificate must still be amended.
Read about how one family’s life changed when they first laid eyes on their beautiful adopted baby.
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