Please spread this info to your Families

[Valenteenah.]

Originally posted by Khayr:

In a blink of an eye, no questions asked, your child is sent away to a foster home - pending an investigation.

It's not that simple. More often than not, child services prefer to leave children with their parents or immediate family, sometimes to the extend where those children are put in the path of harm (Victoria Climbie, among others).

 

It might be difficult to comprehend but, although it's always best to keep families together where possible, some children need to be taken away for their own protection.

 

Speak to any Somali social worker, court interpreter or health/welfare worker and you will be shocked to discover the number of children suffering from severe neglect, mental and physical abuse or living in truly appalling conditions.

 

Sometimes, sometimes it's better that some of these children are fostered for their own safety and well-being.

 

Of course, that's not to say that there aren't major problems with the standard and quality of care provided by foster parents and local authorities and it might well be a case of jumping from the pan to the fire, but what's the alternative?

 

 

The problem is further compounded by the lack of viable Somali foster parents/carers. However, the absurd thing is even if there were couples or even singles who were ready to adopt or foster children, the application and assessment process is so complex and overly invasive that it puts people off!

 

My mother was at one point very interested in taking in a young Somali boy who was put up for adoption by a London council, however when she applied, the council wanted to investigate the background of not only every single person in our household but also everyone we are related to and everyone we were friends with and anyone who comes to visit! It was a ridiculous demand. I mean, I understand the need to ensure that the applicants can provide a safe, healthy environment for the child, but a criminal, medical and financial background check should more than suffice for the household. The level of invasion being proposed was just too much, especially since Soomaalidu intaa wax qarinayso! There wouldn't be a problem if it was just the immediate family being assessed, but when so much information is required from other people it's not really doable.

 

I'm not sure if all local authorities require that much info, but I think some sacrifices are worth making personally. Opening yourself up to government scrutiny and introducing controls on who enters your house and has contact with the children is a small price to pay for providing a vulnerable child with a safe, loving home.

[LuCkY]

Awww...it's sad BUT their immediate family/relatives need to step to the plate and take care of these children.