Enforce strict adoption procedures

WE, the trustees and staff of OrphanCare, are appalled and greatly saddened by the death of toddler Muhammad Al Fateh Abdullah who passed away at the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI) on July 11. According to news reports, the toddler was believed to have been abused by his adoptive parents who have eight biological children.

To prevent such tragic incidents from happening again, OrphanCare advocates proper screening of couples or families before they are allowed to adopt. At OrphanCare, our comprehensive screening process includes a face-to-face interview, “Potential Adoptive Parents” training workshop, and inspections of the adoptive family’s home before and after adoption.

Our social workers conduct the post-adoption visits on a regular basis to ensure the well-being of the child and to assess if counselling is required by both the adoptive family and the adopted child to increase the chances of a success­ful adoption.

Any evidence of abuse would most definitely result in removal of the child from the family, at least until the social workers are convinced that the adoptive ­parents have displayed genuine remorse and a commitment to ­regular inspections.

The unfortunate death referred to earlier could have been avoided if the adoption had adhered to standard operating procedures (SOPs) such as ours at OrphanCare.

NORAINI HASHIM

Trustee

OrphanCare Foundation

Petaling Jaya