Adoption / Fostering

The adoption procedure at Cotlands is as follows:

 

  • Potential parent/s enquire about adopting a child.
  • Pre-screening consultation eliminates all families who are not prepared to adopt a black child. (We only have black children available for placement at Cotlands.)
  • The social worker initiates the screening procedure. This involves a series of interviews (between 3 – 6) which aims to establish that the applicants will be able to provide a secure, stable home to a child, that financially they can afford to care for the child, the attitude of their extended family towards adoption, support systems, etc.
  • Applicants need to have medical assessments to confirm the absence of any fatal diseases.
  • Applicants need to provide proof of income.
  • A home visit is then undertaken.
  • Once the screening interviews are complete and the social worker has approved the applicants, she arranges a panel interview. Here the multidisciplinary team meets the applicants, ask questions if anything is unclear from the report, and together decide which child would be most suited to this family.
  • It is only at this point that the applicants will be introduced to the child.
  • The social worker then plans the orientation, which is the “getting to know each other” phase. This can vary from a few weeks to months, depending on the age of the child, frequency of contact, how quickly a bond develops, etc.
  • When we are sure that the placement is likely to be successful, we will submit the reports to the Children’s Court, and get a court date. This can take up to six weeks. The Commissioner Of Child Welfare finalizes the adoption.

 

As you can see, adoption is a fairly involved process because we do need to make sure that our children are placed with the most suitable families for them. If you do not live in Johannesburg it will be difficult to do the screening and orientation process. It would probably be easier to work through a child welfare agency in your area – their adoption process will most likely be similar to ours.

 

For more information, e-mail Petunia Ndibu on petunia@cotlands.org or call her on (011) 683-7200

 

 

Fostering

Children need homes...

 

Irrespective of whether the children who are sheltered by Cotlands are in the Sanctuary or the hospice, Cotlands’ mission is to place the children back into the community where they belong, within as short a period of time as possible.

 

To this end, the Cotlands team works together with a variety of organisations to try and reunite the children with their biological families. The primary aim is to develop a permanency plan for each child.

 

During 1999, some 23 children were returned to the community — a remarkable achievement representing a more than 50 per cent turnover of beds.

 

Fostering a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences life offers, if parents are given adequate support and are seen as part of the team. This is what Cotlands strives to achieve.

 

Cotlands’ foster care programme begins with a comprehensive screening of prospective parents over a period of three months. This programme embraces training prospective parents to care for children who have had troubled beginnings.

The team is committed to placing children in family situations because they believe that with constant love and attention, all children flourish emotionally and physically.

 

Siblings and children with special needs, such as the severely abused, blind or cerebral palsied are high on the priority list for foster placement.