Two adoptive mothers have set up an agency to help others through the complex process required to adopt a child.
We’re not going to change the world but, at least, we can help these families and children by uniting them
“We started this organisation due to our wish to see more orphans settled happily within families who so long to share their love and lives with a child,” Michelle Pace Micallef and Sarah Alamango said.
Their agency, called Beyond Borders, has been accredited by the Department for Social Welfare Standards, which is the central authority for local and overseas adoptions.
Justice Minister Chris Said, an adoptive parent himself, recently said he wanted to introduce such agencies to alleviate the burden from the Government’s support agency Appoġġ.
Until recently Appoġġ was the only agency authorised by the central authority to carry out adoption preparation courses and home study assessments of prospective adoptive families.
The high caseload means couples have to wait at least a year before they can start an obligatory course that leads to adoption.
At the end of the course, and after what is known as a home study report is compiled, the Government Adoption Board declares whether a family is suitable to adopt.
Ms Alamango recalled how, after completing the Appoġġ course, about four years ago, she felt lost. “After I got approval from the Adoption Board I was on my own. There’s a whole world out there. What do you do?” she said.
She started researching online, came across a US adoption agency and took the plunge, trusting the agency with thousands of euros.
All went well and she eventually adopted a boy and girl, now both three years old, from Cambodia.
After that Ms Alamango became a reference point to other couples seeking to adopt – including Dr Pace Micallef, who eventually adopted her daughter who is now almost two.
“There are a lot of people looking to adopt and it’s growing.
“Whereas in the past it was taboo to adopt, now it’s not the case. Besides, women are trying to have children later so fertility problems are more common,” said Dr Pace Micallef, a lawyer.
Through their experience, the two mothers realised there was a gap in the service. Once the Appoġġ course is done, and the home study report finalised, couples are alone.
On hearing that the Government was licensing agencies they decided to go for it to help prospective adoptive parents through the process that would give a child a home.
Their agency organises adoption preparation courses, carries out home visits and compiles home study reports on the prospective adoptive parents.
The documentation is then presented to the Adoption Board. These are carried out by trained and warranted social workers in line with the requirements of the Adoption Administration Act 2008.
They are also authorised to help facilitate the adoption process by working with trusted overseas institutions. The whole process, including the training, can last about a year.
Prospective parents pay for the service. This payment covers costs as the agency is non-profit.
Parents can opt to attend the course at Appoġġ and then go to the agency for help in the adoption process. Beyond Borders also collects funds to help orphanages abroad and donations can be made through their website adoptionsbeyondborders.com.
“We’re not going to change the world but, at least, we can help these families and children by uniting them,” Ms Alamango said.