Whenever three-year-old Luke’s* foster mother takes him to the swings he goes around proudly telling the other children he has a mummy.
“The other day when I took him to see his brother and sister at the residential home, where he lived up to a few months ago, he kept holding me tight and telling the other children: ‘I have a mummy’,” said his foster parent, Jane*.
Jane and her husband Robert* dream of adopting Luke and giving him thestable home he deserves.
They find it heartbreaking to see the other children, many on care orders, who have been in the residential home for years and are being deprived of living in a loving environment because of flaws in the law.
Under current legislation a child can only be put up for adoption with the parent’s consent resulting in situations where children spend their entire childhood in residential care.
Jane and Robert feel this is also holding back people from fostering – as there is no hope for adoption even when the child’s parents are completely absent.
They are hopeful this will change as Justice Minister Chris Said recently said he was seeking to change policies and laws to free more Maltese children for adoption. Of the 175 children adopted since 2008, only 20 were Maltese. About 220 Maltese children are being fostered.
20
The number of Maltese children adopted since 2008
There are currently no waiting lists for Maltese children up for adoption. However, there are 93 approved adoptive applicants who are either waiting for a matching or have already started the adoption phase, a spokesman for social welfare agency Appoġġ said.
“When there is a child that can be adopted he or she is immediately matched with approved prospective adopted parents,” the agency said.
Dr Said said the government was considering introducing an open adoption system, which would encourage natural parents to allow their children to be adopted while adoptive parents take legal responsibility.
“People think fostering is like borrowing a library book which you have to return. That is what fostering is supposed to be all about – if their parents just need some time to pull themselves together. But there are children on care orders whose parents never become fit to look after them,” Robert told The Sunday Times.
“As a foster parent, there’s this cloud looming over your head – a fear that the child is taken away. But this is because the laws are what they are. If Dr Said’s suggestion becomes reality and fostering can become adoption –recognising the natural parents – then I’m sure more people will foster,” he said.
His wife added: “Every day that passes whereby we delay this legislation is a day lost for these children.”
The couple were originally looking to adopt a child and attended the adoption course offered by Appoġġ. They looked into adopting from Russia and found it would cost them €30,000 in legal and translation fees and travelling costs.
A few months ago they heard about a baby girl, who became known by the name Carla, who was placed on the doorstep of an orphanage.
The couple called the home to ask about the girl and a nun told them she had been adopted but there was a three-year-old boy who could be fostered. They went to meet the nun who told them about Luke’s background. They learnt he was on a care order as his mother neglected him and his siblings. After that they went to meet him for the first time.
“The very first day all he did was look at us and smile.... We just met him and fell in love,” Jane said. The couple are now fostering Luke who lives with them. Every week they take him to the home to see his siblings and meet his mother.
“He looks forward to seeing them but is scared he will remain there... We have that fear too. We cry about it sometimes. We comfort ourselves with the thought that, at least, for now he knows where he belongs,” they said.
*Names have been changed.