‘Failed parents should be forced to put up children for adoption’

Failed parents should be forced to put their children up for adoption and not just condemn them to an institute for years, the CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, Joe Gerada, insists.

He quotes the UK example, whereby parents who cannot take care of their children are given 18 months to get back on their feet and shoulder their responsibility again with the assistance of the government that provides a social worker and other forms of support.

"But after 18 months, if you do not get your act together, the law allows the institution to put the child up for adoption," Mr Gerada adds, pointing out the children’s fundamental right to a loving family.

Mr Gerada was speaking to The Times during an interview, excerpts of which are carried on timesofmalta.com.

The present situation is a sad one for many children placed in care. While many couples are willing to adopt, no Maltese children are up for adoption despite the fact that there are between 250 and 300 in institutions.

Children should be removed from failed parents if these cannot fend for them, Mr Gerada says. But, then, they should be put up for adoption and not left in a situation where their parents are "playing around" with them for 18 years, visiting only at Christmas.

"Having parents is the most important thing for a child but when these are not shouldering their obligations the children’s rights have to be seen to," he insists.

The way children go in and out of institutes is not regulated by law, Mr Gerada explains, questioning the right of a parent to bring a child into the world and suddenly abandon it in an institute for 18 years. "What has the child done to deserve that?"

He points out, however, that it has become harder for parents to do so because the Church no longer allows parents to simply knock on its door and leave a child there.

If these children cannot go back to their natural families the state has the obligation to step in by finding them a loving environment that allows them to live a normal life, Mr Gerada argues, highlighting the fact that there are many adoption and fostering success stories.

Fostering could do with a push, he quickly adds, pointing out that the current complement of 150 trained foster families should be doubled, at least.

"We also need to introduce new measures to encourage these families, including through more incentives, even of a financial nature, especially for those who take care of children with challenging behaviour and come with baggage.

"This would require lots of their time and resources and assistance would have to go beyond a children’s allowance," Mr Gerada says, adding that having challenging behaviour does not imply denying a child the right to a family.