Some 9,180 children fostered by 7,581 families: Ministry

Meltem Özgenç – ISTANBUL

According to the most recent data from the Family and Social Services Ministry, there are currently 9,180 children living with 7,581 families, and seven more children have sought safety in foster care as a result of the recent earthquakes.

The General Directorate of Child Services of the ministry announced the number of children in foster care in the country just before the “Foster Family Day” on June 30.

The ministry stated that a total of 9,180 children are currently being raised in a warm family environment by 7,581 foster families, and recently seven more children benefited from foster care services after the earthquake disasters centered in Kahramanmaraş on Feb. 6.

According to the ministry, while 515 children were in foster families in 2002, as of May 2023, 9,180 children are being raised by foster families in Türkiye.

Foster family candidates can apply to the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services in their province of residence with a petition, or they can apply via e-Devlet, the Turkish e-government gateway.

The process of becoming a foster family is based on a detailed examination. The examination process and eligibility assessment of the requests to become a foster family are carried out by the Provincial Directorates of Family and Social Services and this process can continue for three to six months.

Within the scope of the Foster Family Regulation, various documents are requested from families (health report, criminal record, education certificate, income certificate, etc.), as well as examinations that will form the basis of basic professional evaluations that are important for the relationship between the child and the foster family.

After the examination, families who are assessed to be suitable to be a foster family are queued by receiving foster family status.