The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will conduct today an Adoption Forum with the theme, “Legal na Ampon Ako: Anak na Totoo,”  at the Makati Palace Hotel, Makati City.

The forum will tackle the importance of adoption and foster care in providing a family for the abandoned and neglected children in various centers managed by DSWD and non-government organizations (NGOs) nationwide.

Social workers and program implementers from the Local Government Units (LGUs), NGOs, and child-caring institutions will participate in the forum.

To discuss the process and significance of undergoing the legal adoption process, Atty. Gwendolyn Pimentel Gana, President of the Association of Child Caring Agencies of the Philippines (ACCAP), will expound on Republic Act (RA) 9253 or “An Act Requiring Certification of the DSWD to Declare a Child Legally Available for Adoption.”

On the other hand, DSWD National Capital Region Director Alicia S. Bonoan will discuss Republic Act 8552 or the “Domestic Adoption Act.”

With foreign adoption also a topic of interest as numerous foreign couples have signified their interest to adopt Filipino children, Gina Escalante of the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) will talk about RA 8043 or “The Inter-Country Adoption Act of 1995”, to further guide the implementers in handling adoption of a child from a country other than your own through a legal process.

Foster care

Recognizing the importance of legal adoption, the forum will also highlight the Foster Care Service, another alternative parental care program of the Department that provides a family for abandoned and neglected children.

Under the Foster Care Service, children can stay with qualified families for a short period.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that the goal of the Department is to de-institutionalize children.

“Much as we ensure that children are provided with care in our centers, a family setting is still the best situation for them. Hence, we call on loving and able families to share their homes to the needy children for adoption or foster care,” Sec. Soliman added.

To highlight the joys of adoption, adoptive parents will also share their journey towards legal adoption.

The adoption forum is the culminating activity of the Adoption Consciousness Week celebration, which is annually observed in February. ###