Adoption and Kafala

Adoption is the formal, permanent transfer of parental rights to a family other than a child’s own and the formal assumption by that family of all parenting duties for the child. Where a child’s parents are living and their parental rights have not been terminated, they must provide informed consent for adoption. In some countries it is not culturally acceptable to give the parental rights to a non-family member, and therefore alternative long-term care options must be pursued e.g. kinship care. In some Islamic countries, the term ‘Kafala’ in Islamic law is used to describe a situation similar to adoption, but without the severing of family ties, the transference of inheritance rights, or the change of the child’s family name.

Given the permanency of adoption, it should be used very carefully and only when it is in a child’s best interests. In some cases difficult choices must be made between keeping a child in a temporary care situation in the hope of eventual family reunification, and a child’s developmental need for permanent attachment and care within a family environment. Adoption should not be considered an option in an emergency context. In the case of family separation in an emergency all tracing activities must be exhausted before adoption can be considered.

The long term care of a child requires thorough assessment and planning, and should include the participation of all those affected, especially the child in question. The choice for adoption must meet the child’s long term needs and wishes, and enable their healthy development into adulthood. Wherever possible, children should remain with siblings and encouraged to maintain contact with relatives. All adoptive placements should be in keeping with applicable national law and international standards.

Ideally adoptive parents should come from a similar cultural and religious background to the child, so that the child can retain her heritage and sense of identity. This will be more likely when the adoption is within the country of the child’s origin. The child care policies of a country must therefore provide mechanisms for formal state adoption procedures, and provide workers to support this process. Intercountry or cross border adoptions should be used with caution since the child is likely to grow up in unfamiliar surroundings, and may therefore be more isolated and exposed to risk. When intercountry adoption is in the best interests of a child, international protection agencies should ensure standards are met and procedures should be in keeping with the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption.

This section of papers includes country and policy examples of the use of adoption and guidance on practice.

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Adoption for Hard to Place Children

Better Care Network & Child's i Foundation, 10 Oct 2017

In this video, social worker Evelyn Nateza describes the process used by Child's i Foundation to find Ugandan adoptive families for hard-to-place children.

Kinship care and issues in permanency planning

Deborah J. Monahan, Katie Kietzmann, Carrie Jefferson Smith & Vernon L. Greene - Journal of Intergenerational Relationships , 05 Oct 2017

This article examines whether and how felt caregiver burden influences the reported propensity of caregivers to want to adopt the children in their care.

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Uganda Practitioner Learning Video Series

Better Care Network & Child's i Foundation, 01 Oct 2017

This video series from Better Care Network, in partnership with Child's i Foundation, highlights promising practices in children's care in Uganda.

Improving Outcomes for Older Youth Adopted From Foster Care

Jeanne Miranda - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 01 Oct 2017

The goal of this presentation is to describe a unique manualized Adoption-Specific Intervention (ADAPT) intervention, developed specifically for families adopting older foster care youth. Important lessons for mental health clinicians working with families of adopted youth will be discussed.

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Care Reform in Ghana: Timeline of System Achievements

MEASURE Evaluation and USAID, 15 Sep 2017

This infographic provides a historical timeline of the alternative care reform process in Ghana, marking key achievements in the establishment of policies, guidelines, procedures, and programs to improve the quality of care and protection for children without adequate family care.

Portuguese adopted adolescents' perception of attachment relationships to parents

Raquel Barroso, Maria Barbosa-Ducharne, and Vanessa Coelho - Child & Family Social Work, 13 Sep 2017

This study investigated Portuguese adolescent adoptees' perceptions of their attachment relationships with their adopted parents compared to adolescents living with biological parents and adolescents living in residential care.

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Care Reform in Ghana: Achievements and Challenges

Fred Sakyi Boafo, Yvonne Norman and Kwabena Frimpong-Manso, 11 Sep 2017

This presentation by key actors in children's care reform in Ghana provides an overview of the demographic data of Ghana and offers a thorough review of the situation of children's care, and care reform efforts, in the country.

Care Reform in Uganda: Achievements and Challenges

Jane Stella Ogwang, Principal Probation and Welfare Officer, 11 Sep 2017

This presentation by the Principal Probation and Welfare Officer of Uganda outlines the basic demographic data of Uganda and provides an overview of the situation of children's care, and care reform efforts, in the country.

Childcare Reform in Moldova: Achievements and Challenges

Stela Grigoraș, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection, 11 Sep 2017

This presentation by the Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection of Moldova outlines the basic demographic data of Moldova and provides a thorough review of the situation of children's care, and care reform efforts, in the country.

Care Reform in Armenia Achievements and Challenges

Sona Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, 11 Sep 2017

This presentation from the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia provides an overview of the demographic data of Armenia and offers a thorough review of the situation of children's care, and care reform efforts, in Armenia.