Foster Mothers

Becoming a foster mother, as the term implies, refers to raising a child who is not biologically a women's offspring, on either a short-term basis or for an extended period of time. Children placed in the care of a foster mother are either removed from the biological parent as the parent is deemed unfit or unsuitable by the state to raise the child, or alternatively, the process of child transferal to an alternative caregiver is a voluntary process that does not involve state intervention. Being a foster mother differs considerably from formal adoption as in the case of adoption the biological child is permanently removed from the parent-child unit and the biological parents cede all rights to the child.

Alternatively, in the case of fostering, the biological parents retain the right to intercede in decisions taken with respect to the child and the child still maintains the right to legally inherit assets from the biological parents. In cases where fostering has been ratified by the state, the foster mother does not automatically assume the role of guardian to the child in her care, rather, this position is retained by the state, and the state is, for all intents and purposes, regarded as the custodian of the child. As such, the state has the [Page 583]right to remove the child at any stage in the fostering process, and if deemed appropriate, may reunite the child with his or her biological parents whose rights are viewed by the state as superseding those of the foster mother.

Studies indicate that reasons for opting to become a foster mother are diverse and based on altruistic intentions as well as the need to fulfill a personal void. Common reasons for fostering cited by foster mothers include the will to help children in need, maternal desire, and “a calling from God.” While legal requirements in terms of becoming a foster mother vary from country to country, foster mothers are thoroughly screened, and in the case of state fostering, frequently receive training in an attempt to ensure suitability and preparation for the role. Once accepted as a suitable candidate, foster mothers may opt to foster on a short-term basis or for extended periods of time. Longer term fostering frequently results in a natural and enduring emotional bond forming between a foster mother and the child/children in her care. While the emotional investment in the child is beneficial in terms of the child receiving psychosocial support during what is often a traumatic time, the severing of the bonds formed if the child is reunited with the biological parents, or moved to an alterative caregiver, may be detrimental to both the foster mother and the child/children in her care.

Voluntary Fostering

Transcript

• 50 brothers and sisters live in this house. The youngest is five months old; the oldest 36 years. At first it may seem like a school yard or a summer camp, but in fact it’s a family. Flordelis dos Santos is the mother who cares for everyone here.
• To outsiders it may seem very hard but for me it’s easy, because I believe I was born to be a mother.
• These children have suffered domestic abuse, sexual abuse and neglect, and many ran away from their families. Rayan[?], who is now 15 years old, didn’t even have that chance; she was only two weeks old when Flordelis found her in a dumpster at the train station.
• I’m happy, I don’t feel angry for what has happened to me in my life. I really love living here.
• A couple of weeks after adopting Rayan, Flordelis opened her door to find 37 homeless children asking for help, and her enormous family was born over night. But shortly afterward, the children were ordered to go to orphanages and shelters, so Flordelis decided to run away with her children rather than give them up. But according to the law, what she did was considered kidnapping.
• When they came through the front door, we escaped through the back.
• Today, the family lives in this house rented by two business men who are friends of Flordelis. And their story may soon be well known in Brazil: it has been turned into a movie that is in theatres now and will be shown at the United Nations at the end of the year.

In many parts of the world, such as South America, Asia, and Africa, children have historically been, and continue to be, fostered on a voluntary basis. In such instances, the child is fostered through a sociocultural arrangement made between the biological parents and the foster parents and such a fosterage system does not normally require state intervention. In the case of voluntary fostering, the child maintains a close bond with his or her biological parents but is raised by alternative kin caregivers, allowing for skills to be transferred or acquired, labor to be offered, kin ties to be strengthened, education opportunities to be sought, and companionship and care to be given. However, the nature of informal, voluntary fostering has changed considerably with the onset of the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic. HIV/AIDS has resulted in the demise of many prime-age caregivers who have historically been the first line of defense against a child becoming destitute. As a result, the number of children being absorbed into households able to provide care has risen at an unprecedented rate, resulting in care-dependency ratios increasing dramatically. Social theorists have argued that in many regions of the world but most specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, voluntary fostering has now been replaced by crisis fostering.

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