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Raise money for foster parents

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Raise money for foster parents
Valentina Simeonova, Deputy Minister of Labour
and Social Policy

- Mrs. Simeon, what increase in social benefits is being considered because the prices of food and fuel?
- The social assistance system is not a means to cope with economic problems. It is focused more on how a specific person to deal with a personal problem. Of course, all these phenomena have economic and social manifestations. Many people get poorer and become clients of social assistance. Social benefits are tied to guaranteed minimum income, which is 65 EUR preparing estimates of how much money will be needed to increase it, taking into account inflation. It is 5.2% currently. If so by increasing the guaranteed minimum income would require 7.5 million additional budget costs. Because the release of the guaranteed minimum income leads to increase in all social payments - monthly social assistance, allowances for people with disabilities and children's allowances.
- How many people are on welfare in our country?
- For all of 2010 116,000 people were receiving social assistance. Monthly average they are 44 342. Moreover, the Integration of Persons with Disabilities last year assisted 543 thousand. Target heating subsidies received 206,452 persons, child benefit - 570,577 families.
- What happens to the big reform that began last year - the closing of specialized institutions for children and keeping them in conditions close to family?
- This is a complex and lengthy process. Year and a half, however, managed to reverse the perception of us as Bulgaria's Mogilino in a country that has been identified as the most successful model of reform for the deinstitutionalization of these children. We have already begun and implementation of specific projects. Rated all of the homes for disabled children and homes from 0 to 3 years - more than 3000 children. By May municipalities will be ready with their projects for new small family homes and start their construction. Start a new project to foster care with much greater resources - 15 million of the Operational Programme "Human Resources".
- How many children currently being raised in foster care?
- Thanks to the help of our partners by UNICEF last year sharply increased the number of foster families. So far these are accommodated 559 children. Only in 2010 housed 221, ie a 50% growth. We will make a standard that takes into account real life, and are likely to increase funds for maintenance and payment of foster families. At the moment it is up to 360 leva for a foster parent, depending on the number of children. We want to encourage people specialists to address this serious work, not just unemployed people to become foster parents.
- How many babies are abandoned annually?
- Still the number is over 2000. Most worrying is the fact that half of these children are still abandoned in the maternity hospital. This means that we lack for prevention. Will increase the number of protected points "Mother and Child, where the first 6 months professionals caring mother to acquire parenting skills. There are currently 10 - too weak. We have planned to build such centers in all districts. During this six months, while single mothers are in them will be sought for accommodation. People from the EU still can not believe that Bulgaria babies are abandoned in institutions. There immediately after birth is a professional foster family. Meanwhile prepare the environment for its adoption.
- It became clear that to write a new law on child and family. Why have it?
- Our idea is to integrate the whole matter to children in a single act. Moreover, the current law on child protection focus are children at risk. The new law will be based on the fundamental rights of children, creating an environment that ensures the proper development of children in Bulgaria. And the family and responsible parenthood will be part of this new law. Like all institutions with clear responsibilities for the care and development of children. For those who do not fulfill their responsibilities, there will be sanctions. Including parents. There are many ideas for penalties for poor parents, although I am more incentives for good. Including available and the criminalization of child abandonment, such as legislative practice in many countries. It is unacceptable to abandon children. But if you go to criminality, that means we need to create an environment to support parents so that they do not abandon their children. The project will be ready in late April.
- And what incentives will be offered for good parents?
- Think for individual family support. For example, parents whose children attend school and show results in the learning process, to receive more aid. Support can be both financially and materially - clothes, books, computers. They will target groups at risk, because there is a problem, but the best parents in most cases do not rely on social assistance system.
Mila Kisiova

US envoy to take up Cambodia, Vietnam adoption

Mar 15, 2011

US envoy to take up Cambodia, Vietnam adoption

 

WASHINGTON - A US ENVOY will head this week to Vietnam and Cambodia to look at ways to resume adoptions, which have been suspended due to concerns over child trafficking, the State Department said on Monday.

Susan Jacobs, the special US adviser on children's issues, will head on Wednesday to the South-east Asian countries for talks with officials and other stakeholders on adoption, the department said.

The United States suspended adoptions from Cambodia in 2001 and from Vietnam in 2008. In Vietnam, a US probe found that some adoption rackets were paying US$10,000 (S$12,660) 'donations' to orphanages to claim falsely that infants were abandoned.

The State Department, in a statement, said it 'welcomes Vietnam's strong efforts to create a child welfare system and an inter-country adoption process that will meet its obligations' under the Hague treaty on adoptions.

The United States is the world's largest source of adoptive parents. Other countries have also been moving to restart adoptions in South-east Asia, with Cambodia drafting regulations for children to be adopted by French parents. -- AFP

"La dictature a tué mes parents"

"La dictature a tué mes parents"

Rédaction | Jean-Baptiste Mouttet | 14/03/2011

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Cinq cents bébés auraient été volés lors de la dictature en Argentine. Un procès met à jour cette page sombre de l'histoire. Alejandro Pedro Sandoval est un de ces enfants.

Des prisonniers politiques jetés à la mer depuis un avion, des hommes et femmes torturés dont les proches n'auront plus jamais de nouvelles, des accouchements en détention, des enlèvements d'enfants... Depuis le 28 février, les Argentins sont confrontés aux pages noires de leur histoire avec l'ouverture du procès sur le vol des bébés. Ce procès n'aurait pu se dérouler sans le travail d'investigation des grand-mères de la Place de Mai. En cherchant leurs proches disparus sous la dictature (1976-1983), elles ont écrit les pages de l'histoire de leur pays.

Register aims to speed up adoptions

Register aims to speed up adoptions

A new adoption register designed to increase and speed up adoptions for children will begin taking referrals from the end of the month.

The Scottish Government has allocated £26,282 to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) in 2010-11 to help set up a Scottish National Adoption Register, and is providing a further £87,934 a year for the next three financial years to run it - initially on a three-year pilot basis.

Between its launch in 2004 and February this year, the Adoption Register for England and Wales, also run by BAAF, matched 1,390 children as a result of links it had identified.

Children's minister Adam Ingram said: "The latest figures show that last year there were 15,892 looked after children in Scotland yet only 455 children were adopted.

"The statistics also show that children are becoming looked after for longer periods, creating uncertainty and potential long term social and emotional problems. This underlines the need to increase and speed up adoptions where this is in the best interests of the child.

"The Scottish Government has been looking at how best to increase adoption rates, given the long-term benefits this has for children who can no longer remain with their birth parents."

The register will go live from March 31, after which local authorities and adoption agencies will be asked to refer all children who have had a permanence decision to the register.

If they have not been matched with a family within three months of the referral, the register will begin looking for a match nationally.

It is also proposed that prospective adopters be placed on the register once a decision has been made by their adoption panel and they will be made available on the register three months later.

Barbara Hudson, director of BAAF Scotland, said: "We are very excited about establishing the Adoption Register in Scotland. If it is as successful as the one in England and Wales then there is a real potential to make a big difference to the lives of many of children across Scotland who desperately need love and stability from a forever family."

Orissa orphanage chief, caretaker held for torturing kids

Orissa orphanage chief, caretaker held for torturing kids

Bhubaneswar |Monday, 2011 11:05:05 PM IST

Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Holi

The chief and the caretaker of a private orphanage in Orissas Sundergarh district were arrested Monday for torturing children at the shelter, police said.

Global Village president Amiyabala Sethi and caretaker Runi Sethi, both women, were arrested from Biramitrapur town, about 550 km from Bhubaneswar, the local police station chief R.C.Singh told IANS.

Themamiddag over homoseksueel ouderschap

Themamiddag over homoseksueel ouderschap
Ben jij homo of lesbisch en heb je een kinderwens? Op zondag 13 maart 2011, van 15:00 tot 17:00 uur, organiseren Stichting Ambulante Fiom en COC Limburg een themamiddag voor homomannen en lesbische vrouwen met een kinderwens. Tijdens verschillende lezingen gaan (ervaring)deskundigen in op onderwerpen zoals biologische moeder en meemoeder, adoptie en draagmoederschap, de rol van de donor, kiezen voor een bekende of onbekende donor (bron: persbericht).
 
De middag wordt afgesloten met een gezellige borrel waarbij er nagepraat kan worden met de sprekers. Aanmelden kan via maastricht@fiom.nl of 088-1264990 en kost €5 voor COC leden en €7 voor niet COC leden. COC Limburg is te vinden aan de Bogaardenstraat 43, 6211 SN te Maastricht

2006: Preet Mandir forced to vacate rented premises

Radha Kalyandas Daryanani Charitable Trust

Trust that owned property gave notice after suspected wrongdoing at women's rehab home

Much before Preet Mandir came under the scanner of the CBI, which days ago filed the chargesheet in the adoption racket, the Radha Kalyandas Daryanani Charitable Trust of Mumbai had asked it to shift from the premises the Trust had let out for a 'Home for Rehabilitation of Women and Children' at Seva Dham in Wadgaon Maval.

The contract was terminated in 2006 and Preet Mandir asked to shift, following media reports of suspect activities.

The Balwant Kartar Anand Foundation alias Preet Mandir ran the rehab home 42 km from Pune at the Sai Baba Seva Dham, Kanhe Phata between April 2004 and mid-2006. Preet Mandir was one of the 10 organisations given rented space and infrastructure at the 15-acre facility made available by the Mumbai-based Trust.

Romanian Govt Reduces Length Of Adoption Procedures

Romanian Govt Reduces Length Of Adoption Procedures

The Romanian Government on Wednesday decided to reduce the length of child adoption procedures. 

Romanian Govt Reduces Length Of Adoption Procedures

The Government decided that children whose biological parents are unknown can be adopted 30 days after birth certificates are issued, and children under state protection can be adopted after an interval of one year during which parents showed no sign of being interested in their children's situation.

Government spokeswoman Ioana Muntean said the Executive did not amend laws regulating international adoptions.

Parliament approves motion on adoption laws

Thursday, 10 March, 2011, 14:27

Parliament approves motion on adoption laws


Parliament approved a motion to make it easier for couples to adopt, and for parents who put their children up for adoption to know their identities once they are adults.

The motion has been approved by both the National Council and the Council of States.

Main changes include the required minimum age of adoptive parents and the amount of time they have been living together—both have been reduced.

The couple would also not have to be married.

The motion also lets biological parents know the identity of their children once they are adults and if the children agree to it.

At the moment adopted children have the right to know the who their biological parents are, but not the other way round.

Romania detains two Italians for child trafficking

Romania detains two Italians for child trafficking

10 March 2011 | 14:06 | FOCUS News Agency
Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans
Bucharest. Romanian authorities have detained two Italians for child smuggling and using a false identity after they allegedly tried to illegally take a Romanian newborn to Italy, prosecutors said Thursday, AFP informs.
The two, a 45-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man, were detained late Tuesday in the central city of Brasov.
The Italians allegedly reached an agreement earlier this month with a nine-month-pregnant Romanian woman to register her baby under their names at birth, so they could leave the country with the newborn.
The Romanian gave birth in a private clinic in the eastern city of Bacau, where she was registered under the name of the Italian woman, local prosecutors said.
Prosecutors have asked for the Italians to be held in pre-trial detention for 29 days. A court will decide on the request later Thursday.