Fostering and adoption in Montenegro
Every child needs a family
- Crnogorski
- English
Highlights
- Majority of the citizens of Montenegro think that the state doesn't make enough efforts to prevent abandonment of children.
- While adoption is relatively often perceived as a form of child protection of children without parental care, foster care is recognized as such considerably less frequently. It shouldn't be forgotten that equal percentage of the citizens who consider adoption as an adequate form of child protection also think that placing children without parental care in institutions is an adequate form of child protection. Therefore, more efforts should be placed in raising the public awareness about the advantages of child growth in foster and adoptive families.
- Observed globally, self-assessed level of citizens' awareness about foster care is on an exceptionally low level. Nevertheless, majority of the citizens are aware of some facts regarding foster care, for example, the fact that foster care is a temporary care about the child, and that foster parents have the responsibility to provide conditions for optimal development of the child and prepare him/her for independent life and work. Lower percentage of the citizens know who the foster parents can be, and which right and obligations the biological parents of children placed in foster family have. Besides that, not a negligible percentage of the citizens think that foster care means establishing a relationship of kinship between child and foster parents, and that foster parents can manage and dispose of the child's property. All mentioned facts indicate that attention should be paid to promotion of foster care, and education of the citizens about this form of child protection for children without parental care.
- On the other hand, citizens of Montenegro are much more informed about adoption. However, what majority of the citizens are not familiar with is the fact that adoption can be full or partial, and differences between these two types of adoption. Besides that, lower percentage of the citizens are aware of the possibility of managing and disposing of the child's property, while certain percentage of the citizens claim that adoptive parents receive monthly compensation from the state.
- High percentage of the citizens are unable to specify the difference between foster care and adoption. The highest percentage of the citizens who are able to specify this difference most frequently mention temporary character of foster care.
- Observed in general, attitude towards foster care and adoption is mainly positive. The prevailing opinion is that foster and adoptive families can provide children with everything they get in their biological families. The strongest drivers that stimulate foster care and adoption are love for children and wish to help someone, as well as the need to fulfil the role of parenting. However, many citizens believe that ideal foster care process ends up with children returning to their biological families. On the other hand, significant percentage of citizens believe that foster family can never replace the biological one, or that adopted child or child placed in foster family can be loved equally as one’s own child, as well as that children abandoned by their parents stay traumatised for the rest of their lives and that they usually have problems with learning and behaviour in general. Accordingly, there are various doubts when it comes to problems foster families are faced with, and what citizens fear most is difficult establishing of emotional bond with a child, as well as problems with child’s biological parents. Therefore particular attention should be paid to education and destroying prejudice about foster care and relationship child-foster parent, and pointing to good aspects of foster care. On the other hand, as barriers for foster care and adoption, usually mentioned are poor financial situation, but also lack of support of the society and the state. So, there is obvious discrepancy between perceptions of problems that foster families are faced with and perceived factors that prevent citizens from being engaged in foster care; while the perceived problems are of interior nature, barriers come from the surrounding, and not from individuals.
- Interest in foster care and adoption is at a very low level, which additionally points to necessity of motivating the citizens of Montenegro through strong campaigns, but also the need to make procedures simpler and closer to citizens.
- As for suitability of children of different characteristics, most citizens are not willing to take care of children whose parents are in prison or are drug or alcohol addicts, as well as children with intellectual or other developmental problems, chronic diseases, or children of Roma nationality. Besides family support, actually child’s mental and physical health is what determines the decision on foster care most. It should not be neglected that the very foster care process, as well as material monthly allowance, do influence this decision, so the process of establishing foster care needs to be simplified and adequate monthly allowance needs to be introduced.
