Turkey to remove age limit on child adoption

ANKARA

Turkey will remove the age limit on child adoption and more people will be encouraged to adopt and build families, Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya has told daily Hürriyet. According to the current legislation, the age limit to adopt a child is 40 years of age.

“From now on, we are removing the age limit of 40 for child adoption. After a strong social inspection, those above 40 will also be able to adopt children,” said Kaya on Oct. 2.

Once the draft for the new regulation is prepared, suitability to become a foster parent will not be judged by age criteria, but through a social inspection by the ministry.

“Our first goal is the age group between 0 and 6. First, we will send them to the foster-parents for an adaptation period. Afterward, they will be adopted,” said Kaya.

Kaya said children must be brought up in a family environment in order to raise healthy and well-behaved generations.
She said the crèche model in orphanages was removed in June this year and there were no more bunk beds for children.

“All the orphanages have been turned into care houses. Children are receiving more private care in these home-type models. They are happier and therefore more successful in their lessons,” she said.

“There were those who were accepted into medical school and placed in the Olympics,” she added, referring to the success of the new model.

The ministry wants educated and outstanding people to adopt children.

“Imagine a judge or a businessman adopts a child in a small village. They are all very precious. It would mean a lot for children,” she said.
Kaya said they want to increase the percentage of foster-parents and instructed the province directorates accordingly.

“Before we go to the provinces, our teams go and visit the institutions and the organizations. Then we evaluate the province. Recently, we had a meeting in the southeastern province of Gaziantep. We saw the percentage of foster families had not increased as much as we wanted. We spoke with our governor. We will hold an informative meeting [about the new regulation] directed to every field we can reach out to, such as judge, prosecutor, doctor, engineer and teacher,” said Kaya.