25 November 2009
Children who are also being neglected by family members would be included in this new programme to be implemented by the Ministry of Social Development. Homeless children will also be targeted.
According to Al Ayam newspaper, the services will be offered as temporary measure to protect children and their well-beings.
The programme aims at offering better lives for those children through offering them with their health, psychological and social needs, as well as healthy family environment.
Children will be rehabilitated as well as their problems tackled, in order to return them back to their homes.
The selection of foster homes and the granting of temporary custody will be decided in later stages by the Ministry, but all procedures would be taken according to laws and regulations and documented through official papers.
Foster homes would be selected after fulfilling certain criteria and the foster parents would be notified within one week of the date they will be receiving the child.
The families selected for temporary custody would be involved in training to know how to deal with abuse victims and their responsibility as temporary guardians.
The foster families should be Bahraini and Muslims to avoid exposing children to social and religious shocks. The foster family should also consist of two mature couple who are no less than 30 years of age and are free along with other family members from contagious and mental disorders and diseases.
They should have no criminal records and be living in Bahrain to enable the ministry to follow up the progress of the child. Priority to shift children would be given to their close relatives and friends.
