Don’t circumvent adoption, couples told

For a process as delicate as adoption, couples should be prepared.

A social worker said that children who end up with foster parents  without the legal process of adoption are prone to physical abuse.

“This is because parents who don’t go through our process are not trained or briefed well,” said social worker Emma Patalinghug of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7.

The country marked the start of Adoption Consciousness Week yesterday.

“Simulated at birth” as defined in  Republic 8552 or the Domestic Adoption Act of 1998 occurs when a childless couple comes into possession of a baby or child given to them by a midwife, unwed mother or relative.

Instead of endorsing the infant for processing by the DSWD, the couple applies for a birth certificate to make it appear that the child is their own.

Patalinhug said parents who want to take in a child should undergo “post-placement services” where  they will be fully briefed about the  challenges of adoption and how  the child should be told about it later.

Patalinghug said the couple needs to know the consequences and  long- term implications of adding a  family member who isn’t their offspring.

Adoption Consciousness Week, which ends on Feb. 10, advocates  legal adoption  of children and discourages simulated adoption.

“The stigma in adopting children has reduced. It’s  more accepted now,” Patalinghug said.

As of 2010, the DSWD-7 matched 79 children with  prospective parents.

Patalinghug said a couple’s economic status and stability will be assessed before they can adopt.

Paul Healy, executive director of the Children Shelter of Cebu, said most parents who want to adopt children ask about the background  and profile of the mother  like  intelligence, mental and physical history.

“The adoption process also exposes the cultural values of the people,” Healy said.

The DSWD-7 has seven accredited child-caring agencies in Cebu.

They are  the Children Shelter of Cebu, Asilo dela Milagrosa, Albert Sweitzer Familien Werk, Friendship Home Foundation, Rainbow Village Industries, NORFIL Foundation, Inc, and the Holy Trinity Angels.