A LOCAL attorney is urging eligible Bahamians to consider adoption as a means to positively impact children in need of stability and the support of family.
Nadia-Hope Adderley, adoption advocate, issued the call in view of World Adoption Day, which is observed today.
“Adoption, by my definition, is an opportunity to positively impact the lives of children,” Ms Adderley said.
“It is an act of love to assume responsibility and to provide stability for the future generation.”
She added: “Adoption can transform the lives of the children. As citizens, we must be our brothers and sisters’ keeper and let us begin to think of others as we strive to change our world one act at a time.”
In The Bahamas, eligible adults are able to adopt children in the care of the Department of Social Services or privately, meaning children not in the care of Social Services.
The application process to adopt through Social Services involves being approved by a board and once you are eligible, a child is eventually placed with the pre-adoptive applicant for six months.
Once Social Services grants final approval, adoption proceedings can begin.
All adoption matters are processed in the Supreme Court. An attorney files the necessary paperwork and provides legal representation at the court hearings.
The court appoints a guardian to investigate the applicants through a home study, interview the applicants and finally to interview those who provide character references.
Finally, an adoption order is granted.
Comments
bahamianson 2 years, 6 months ago
First things first, the government needs to do more in the classrooms. These twelve year old mothers and fathers need to be taught the importance of keeping their legs closed, both boys and girls. We need more education about unwanted pregnancy. The state needs to make sperm and egg donors more responsible. After that , other measures.need to be implemented.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 6 months ago
The political parties need to hang their heads in shame. Its been their 47 year focus on grabbing power and patronage that have given us incompetent minister after incompetent minister along with their incompetent friends. After 5 years these incompetent people then claim leadership "experience".... and the cycle goes on and on. How can we move this country forward if you supply us with lacklustre seat warmers and then give them senatorships, parliamentary positions and ministerial posts? Who runs anything like that???
Every single system is broken. Teenage pregnacy, single mothers and unwanted children are just 1 on the numerous fallouts from 47 years of neglect and incompetence.
ohdrap4 2 years, 6 months ago
No one has said it yet. But the child was inthe care of the father and paternal grandmother. Till the mother demanded the child.
Fathers are disadvantaged as the system does not acknowledge the existence of unfit mothers.
Perhaps she was unfit having suffered abuse, but still unfit.
Flowing 2 years, 6 months ago
It would be great if same-sex couples could foster and adopt.
rosiepi 2 years, 5 months ago
Bahamians would rather let their child relatives rot in the horrid conditions of so called "care homes" than allow them to be adopted by couples longing for a child because they'd have to acknowledge the child and their sorry predicament. They indulge their vanity at the expense of a child's life but they're always at church. If government is hypocritical it's because they represent a like minded country!
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