KOZHIKODE: As a clear indication of couples stripping of the stigma towards adoption in Malappuram, the district child protection unit (DCPU) has recommended a child care centre for the status of specialised adoption agency (SAA).
It wants the government to give SAA approval for ‘Shantibhavanam’, the voluntary child care centre at Randathani.
The state has 17 SAAs but not a single one in Malappuram, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts.
“More people are interested in becoming parents through adoption. The foster care programme has instilled confidence among the suspicious couples that adoption would be a success,” says district child protection officer Samir Machingal. Some 40 couples had already registered on the central website CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) from here and are eagerly waiting to become parents.
The vacation foster care programme of DCPU was a game changer as it struck the bond and many parents waited for the next vacation to take their foster child back to home.
A veteran at Childline told DC that the orthodox belief that becoming parents of an adopted child is not good held sway in the district. “People coming forward to break that barrier is most welcome,” he said.
At present, there are six children in the district declared as legally fit for adoption. “The launching of CARA and overall monitoring of the adoption process have grabbed attention. Many confusions and unwanted fears over adoption have been cleared now,” said Fasal Pullat, a social worker at DCPU.
