Are the interest and welfare of the child still major considerations in the procurement of substitute family care?
Building on experiences in the Advisory Councils for foster care, the author reflects on current trends where mediation is increasingly shifting to an official level. Experts' opinions are not respected, pediatricians, for example, allegedly medicalize the problem of substitute family care etc. Although health problems of children suggested for substitute family care are more and more serious and the number of children with serious positive findings on examination (such as active hepatitis etc.) is increasing. Nearly all applications for registration as a substitute family care candidates are accepted − magistrates are afraid to evaluate someone as unsuitable because they fear that such person may make a protest and/or complaint. The situation may get even worse in the future if professional foster parents (e.g. foster care on a temporary basis) will accept children only on the basis of court´s judgment on placing a child in foster care without experts´ or an advisory board opinion. Moreover, it is not clear who will carry out medical and psychological examination of children and how this information will be communicated to new parents in a situation when a child goes from professional foster parents to adoptive parents. It is also not clear who will prepare a child for transition from one family to a new one. In case of foster care on a temporary basis there is also the risk that a child will repeatedly change families. All this goes against the best interests of the child.
(Fulltext in Czech)