Child Protection

 The Child Protection section is there to enhance the welfare and protection of children in Zimbabwe. It provides comprehensive child protection services through the National Case Management System for the Welfare and Protection of Children (NCMS). Services offered include:

• Educational assistance through the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM)
• Probation services for children in conflict with the law and children in need of care
• Alternative care placements, that is, foster care, adoption and residential care; Identification Documentation Tracing and Reunification (IDTR) of children living outside the family environment including children living and working on the streets and unaccompanied migrant children.
• International Social Services in matters relating to inter-country child protection issues.
• Implement and coordinate services through community-based systems facilitated by Child Protection Committees and Community Childcare Workers
• Parenting initiatives
• Early warning child protection systems
• HIV sensitive and disability sensitive child protection services.

FOSTER CARE

Foster care means placing a child in temporary care with a family other than his/her own as a result of problems or challenges that are taking place within the birth family. Foster care is often used to provide temporary care while sustainable long term solutions are being put in place, such as resolution of the foster care push, factors, adoption, or after care services. Placement of children into foster care is done by the court through a Child Protection Officer. The court order is valid for a maximum period of 3 years and can be reviewed thereafter.

Step 1 – Prospective foster parents, who could be a couple or an individual approach the District Social Development Office in their locality for registration.

Step 2 – Child Protection officer conducts an assessment and appraise the prospective foster parents of what foster care entails, roles and responsibilities of foster parents, available support to foster parents and the difference between foster care and adoption. Prospective foster parents provide names and addresses of three referees one of which should be a family medical doctor, a minister of religion and any other person of repute to whom reference can be made of their personal character and social standing. Requests are then sent by the Child Protection Officer for written references from these referees.  If applicant has stayed out of Zimbabwe for more than one year, background checks have to be conducted through the International Social Services desk at head office.

Step 3 – Police vetting and clearance for prospective foster parents.

Step 4 – Successful foster parents are registered in the Foster Care Register at district level and placements are done as and when there are children in need of care and protection.

Step 5 – Foster fees are claimed through the District Social Development Office.

ADOPTION.

It is a permanent arrangement whereby adoptive parents and the adopted child acquire the same rights, duties and privileges towards each other as if the child had been their biological child, born in lawful wedlock. It means becoming a parent through a legal and social process rather than through a biological process. It entails the exit action of all present or future rights and obligations of biological/natural parents for the child and the transfer by administrative or legal authority of all these rights and obligations to a married couple or an individual who may have no blood relationship with the child. 

Parents with their own biological children may adopt children if they so wish.

Adoption is necessary where A child has no known natural parents or extended family to look after him/her. Natural/biological parents are unable or are unwilling to care for their child or they voluntarily relinquish their rights to the child.

Adoption is not appropriate where A child has close family ties or relations who can help to care for him/her in his own family home; in this regard, the relatives assisting/ caring for the child can apply for and be granted guardianship of the child by the high court.

TYPES OF ADOPTION

• DE FACTO

– whereby a couple jointly adopts a child belonging to the other spouse or is related to the other spouse, that is, where there is some prohibitive degree of blood kinship between the adopters and the child.

• NON DE FACTO

– whereby a couple or an individual adopts a complete stranger.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY IN RESPECT OF ADOPTIVE PARENTS

One cannot adopt a child

• If you are under the age of 25 years.
• If the age gap between you and the child you want to adopt is less than less than 21 years
• If you are not a citizen of Zimbabwe.
• No adoption can be made where the sole applicant is a male and the minor is a female.
• Without the consent of every person or body who is a parent or legal guardian of the minor.
• Without the consent of both spouses in cases where the application has been made by one of two spouses
• Without a full medical exam of the minor and the results furnished to the court and contents made known to the prospective adopters.

ADOPTION PROCESS/ PROCEDURE

Basic Educa􀆟on Assistance Module (BEAM)

A social protection intervention which was established by the Government of Zimbabwe in 2002 as a community based social safety net system to ensure access to education for vulnerable children. The primary objective of the BEAM programme is to reduce the number of children dropping out of school and reach out to children who have never been to school due to economic hardships through the payment of levies, tui􀆟on fees, examination fees as well as boarding fees for children with special needs enrolled in registered special schools. BEAM provides fee waivers for eligible primary and secondary school children for tuition, examination fees and applicable levies.

BEAM Targets:

• • Children in Child headed family.
  • Children in labour constrained households
  • Orphaned children
  • Children who are out of school due to financial constraints
  • Children living and working on the streets
  • Children left behind under the care of an incapacitated guardian

SELECTION CRITERIA
Selection of BEAM beneficiaries is done at community level. Nomination of potential beneficiaries is done annually following the BEAM calendar and anyone in the community including children themselves can nominate potential
beneficiaries. Following these nominations the Community Selection Committee calls for a meeting on selection. The meeting ranks the children according to vulnerability from highest to lowest to come up with a BEAM Master list. Community validation processes ensue. BEAM claim forms 2/1 primary and 2/1 Secondary are completed and signed by Community Selection Committees, District Schools Inspector and District Social Development Officer. Claims are sent to the Provincial Social Development Office for capturing and coding into the MIS System. BEAM Management Unit at head office verifies and processes payments. Upon receipt of the payments, schools acknowledge receipt of funds and issue out individual receipts for children enrolled on the BEAM programme.