Good morning good people, its been a minute. I have been away from social media for a bit busy with activities close to my heart.
One of which is to assist couples struggling infertility and those looking toward adoption and fostering. This has kept me quite busy along with enjoying celebrating our Ziva’s eleventh birthday a couple weeks ago.
There are a few steps that are required to be taken when considering adoption and the very first one is to get registered on RACAP. That is any couple or person wanting to foster or adopt in South Africa must be registered on RACAP prior to commencing the process.
What is RACAP?
‘The Register for Adoptable Children and Prospective adoptive parents (RACAP) is a national network register kept by the National Department of Social Development with the aim to assist adoption service providers to discuss potential matches between them.’ http://lesoba-dev.co.za/NACSA/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RACAP-Guidelines.pdf
What should I do when considering fostering?
‘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 (should you have one in mind.)’
How long does it take to become a foster parent in South Africa?
There is a Form 30 that you would receive from your nearest Department of Social Development office. This is to be filled in and then mailed to Department of Social Development in Pretoria. .This process can take anywhere from 3 to 9 months, depending how long the police clearance and Form 30 take to arrive. That is the other thing that must be done, the couple is required to obtain a police clearance certificate.
How does foster care work in South Africa?
Foster care is the temporary placement of a child who is in need of care and protection. The child is placed in the care of a suitable person who is not the parent or guardian of the child.
Fostering could be done for two or more years before the child could become adoptable.
It is heartbreaking to know that in our suburb of Phoenix, Durban, South Africa alone, there are currently +/- 250 children in system. It is necessary to conscientise our communities of this dilemma so that we would open up our home and mostly our hearts to this need.
Grace and peace to you. Love always…