A new adoption system will be formally launched May 30 in line with the implementation of the Children and Youth Welfare Act, ROC Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan said April 29.
He made the announcement during a visit to an infant care center run by Good Shepherd Social Welfare Services in the southern city of Tainan.
Explaining the main difference between the old and new systems, Chang Hsiu-yuan, director-general of the MOI’s Child Welfare Bureau, said the new system will include a filter mechanism, whereby families seeking to adopt a child and those looking to put one up for adoption will be required to enlist an intermediary organization certified by the government to carry out an assessment of the case and then act as their agent in making a formal request before the courts.
Previously, the families could make the request directly, with the courts then issuing a decision immediately, he said.
The bureau has established an adoption intermediary services platform to increase opportunities for children to be adopted domestically, the MOI said. It has also stepped up its public education campaign and is providing related welfare and support services to increase the willingness of families in Taiwan to adopt.
The country currently has eight adoption intermediary organizations, including Good Shepherd Social Welfare Services, according to the MOI. The Child Welfare Bureau has set up a section on adoption intermediary services on its website, providing information on these organizations and related regulations, the ministry said. (SB-THN)