Two brothers in search of a family

It’s no secret that family stability in Belize has been on the decline for quite a while. And when those families come apart the end of the road for some children, whose parents and relatives cannot care for them, is custody by the state. But that situation is meant to be temporary and tonight, in the first of a series of reports, Jacqueline Woods introduces us to some deserving children in need of families.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

Poor socio-economic conditions, neglect, and physical abuse are three of the main reasons why a growing number of children have been taken from their homes and temporarily placed with relatives, foster families, or childcare centres.

Jacqueline Woods

“What constitutes neglect?”

Jolleen Arnold, Acting Supervisor, Child Placement

“Neglect can be viewed in several ways: the child not attending school regularly, unsupervision in the home environment, the child home alone without any adult supervision, the child is not given the basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter and medical health. They are denied these factors that would then constitute an abuse on the particular child.”

Eight-year-old Jordan and seven-year-old Aaron are just two of the thirteen children the Department of Human Services is trying to place in permanent homes.

Jolleen Arnold

“It would be an ideal situation that they would be placed as they have been removed from a home of five siblings. Three of them have already been placed in adoptive homes and the two boys have remained at the centre. It would be better for them to be together in an environment, as the younger brother is heavily dependent on the older one. He had mentioned that he would like to be with his older brother once placed. And, in addition, we would like for the three, if we find a possible placement for the boys, we would like for the three families to have the children keep in contact and maintain that brotherly and sisterly contact over the years and in the future.”

Both Aaron and Jordan are attending primary school and they enjoy sports, reading, and watching television. Because children who are up for adoption have experienced a variety of problems, acting supervisor for Child Placement and Specialized Services, Jolleen Arnold, says they do assist in making the adoption as easy as possible for both the children and families. Arnold says when a child is placed in a centre, it’s because all other avenues have been exhausted.

Jolleen Arnold

“So the hierarchy of placement within the department is that the child would remain in a family situation so the department would identify possible relatives, resources, within that family and place the child. If that is not possible then we would identify foster families or foster homes where the child can be in a family setting for a short period of time until the birth family has improve the current situation. If not, institution would be the last resort to place the child.”

At the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Centre, on any given day, you can find as many as forty children staying in a building that was built to care for twenty-five.

For young residents like Jordan and Aaron, who have been living at the centre for three years, it has not been easy, but their present place of residence is the closest thing to a stable home they have had…that is until they are welcomed by a loving family. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.

If you would like to adopt Jordan and Aaron, please contact Jolleen Arnold at the Department of Human Services at telephone number 227-7451.