Regional Government wants to implement foster care system - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, announced today at a parliamentary hearing that the Regional Government wants to implement the foster care system in the Region.

"This measure has already been implemented in Mainland Portugal and Madeira. We would like to see it applied to children in the Autonomous Region of the Azores as well, for they all have the right to grow up in a family," stressed the government official. 

"This measure tends to be temporary and transitional. It is aimed at providing children with a safe, structured and loving family environment that promotes their physical and emotional well-being when this is not possible with their birth family," added Mónica Seidi.

The Regional Secretary also stated that this measure should take precedence over residential care for children up to six years of age.

The placement of a child/young person in a duly qualified foster family always depends on the decision by the court or the Commission for the Protection of Children and Youth. It is the responsibility of the Institute for Social Security of the Azores (ISSA) to identify the family that best suits their needs.

The draft Decree presented today adapts the implementation of the measure to the Autonomous Region of the Azores as a means of promoting the rights and protection of children and young people.

In the Region, ISSA will be the entity responsible for assessing and selecting foster care applications.

Mónica Seidi also explained that awareness, information and dissemination campaigns will be developed to attract applicants.