THE Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) has designated November, Foster Care Month with a programme of events planned to heighten awareness, in an effort to increase the number of persons willing to enroll as foster care parents. The Guyana Chronicle yesterday interviewed Director of Children Services, Ms. Ann Greene, Administrative Manager of Foster Care, Ms. Colleen Khan and Public Relations Officer, Ms. Abigail Wade at their Broad and Charles Street, Charlestown, Georgetown office.
“We are trying to increase the number of persons we have as potential foster care parents. We want to get a core list of persons willing to share their homes and love for children, so they could take a child in their home,” Greene offered.
She said the intention is to get the community to “buy in” because foster care is something that Guyana knows little about and which is “pretty new to Guyanese.”
Greene disclosed that there are about 700 children in institutions and foster care is pursued as an alternative when a family fails and can no longer manage to rear children.
“A child is entitled to a family. If you can live with your own family, we will make that happen. If you cannot, then we will provide a foster care family,” Greene assured.
Among some of the activities for this month is an open day exhibition in the compound of CCPA that will feature art and craft by children in care and in need of loving, caring devoted foster parents.
Khan explained that foster care is a family-based option for children who cannot remain with their biological parents. When necessary, she said the child is placed with a surrogate family, temporarily, while the agency works to help the family with their issues.
She said, for this month, what the agency is trying to do is encourage people to enroll on their register by visiting the office and filling out a form. A home visit is then conducted; background checks are made and foster parents are required to do medical examinations, which are paid for by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
The foster care initiative was introduced in 2009 and this is the first time a month has been designated specifically for it.