Wanted: 131 children! Slow adoption process frustrates potential parents

Arthur Hall and Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporters

MORE THAN 130 Jamaicans are waiting patiently in line to adopt children who are yet to be identified.

Another 270 persons are on a waiting list to adopt wards of the state or extended family members whom they have identified.

But the process is moving slowly, leading to questions and frustration from many persons who have been waiting for some time and who were promised that the process would be done between four and seven months.

Official data provided to The Sunday Gleaner by the Adoption Board did not state when the applications were submitted and an official at the Child Development Agency (CDA), who requested anonymity, claimed they could not say how long the persons have been waiting.

The CDA official also failed to state what has been causing the long wait.

But Dr Doreen Millard-Bullock, former chairman of the Adoption Board, told The Sunday Gleaner that the delay could be because prospective parents have to undergo a "careful screening process" before the children are placed in their care.

According to Millard-Bullock, the adoption process is also slowed by some prospective parents who fail to submit all the requisite documentation.

In addition, Millard-Bullock argued that there are times when the delay is caused by a dissenting parent. "Occasionally, one parent may object (to their child being adopted)," the former head of the Adoption Board revealed.

internal problems

Millard-Bullock also admitted that internal problems at the Adoption Board sometimes cause delays.

"There has been, at times, a lot of applications and we couldn't process them in the (stipulated) period of time. From time to time, we had staff shortage (but) I don't know what the current situation is," Millard-Bullock said as she noted that Jamaicans are big on adoptions.

"Persons from all walks of life ... many informal adoption are done. A lot of Jamaicans raise children without going through the legal process."

In the nine-year period 2000-2008, the Adoption Board recorded 1,537 legal adoptions at an average rate of 171 each year.

While the official figures for last year are not yet ready, a similar trend has been observed with more than 70 children by September.

Countless thousands of children in neighbouring country Haiti are scattered among Port-au-Prince's makeshift camps of homeless and many have nobody to care for them, as their parents were killed in the recent earthquake. Persons from countries as far away as France and Spain have been seeking to adopt some of these children. There are indications that Jamaican families have expressed interest in Haitian orphanism. However, local authorities have cautioned the wisdom of doing this, given the scale of the Haitian crisis and the many health and logistics issues at stake.

no restrictions

Under Jamaican law, there is no restriction on persons offering themselves to adopt children, with single-parent households or married couples being treated equally.

While same-sex couples cannot together adopt a child, either partner can apply to the CDA for the right to adopt.

The law requires that persons who apply to adopt children must have a satisfactory medical record, accommodation for the child, a clean police record and must satisfy the Adoption Board that the individual or couple will be able and willing to provide a nurturing environment for the child.

However, the child must be over six weeks old and under 18 years old. A child who is not a ward of the state must have a signed consent for adoption from his or her parents and must receive counselling.

Residents of Commonwealth countries, Sweden, Denmark and the United States can adopt Jamaican children, but they require a home study from a licensed social-service agency in the country and a commitment from the agency that it will send periodic reports to Jamaican authorities.

Adoptions in Jamaica - 2000-2008

Year # of adoptions

2000 202

2001 206

2002 219

2003 216

2004 166

2005 149

2006 84

2007 140

2008 155