The number of abused or abandoned children is increasing, while fewer foster homes are taking in such children, a children's welfare group said yesterday.
"The increased numbers of foster children per foster family results in a greater burden for these families," said Peng Ming-tseng (彭明聰), chairman of the board of the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families.
The fund has run a foster program for children since 1983. As of Dec. 31 last year, 10,521 children and young people and 2,601 foster families have been involved in the program.
Within the past five years, the number of foster children has increased steadily, from 780 in 2000 to 1,063 last year. But in the same period, the number of new foster families able to take in such children has declined.
Peng pointed out that according to legal regulations set by city and county governments, the total number of children under the age of 12 may not exceed four per foster home; the number includes foster parents' natural children.
Each foster home that has signed up with the fund houses an average of about two children. The fund said that in order to provide the best care for each needy child, its goal is to place only one foster child or one disabled child per family.
There are three types of foster homes in the fund's network: regular, single-parent and professional homes.
A regular foster home consists of parents who are between the age of 25 and 63, who have a happy marriage, steady income and commendable lifestyle.
A single-parent foster home is one that consists of a divorced parent, who, apart from the marital status, has the same qualifications as a regular foster home.
A professional foster home refers to an adult who graduated with a degree in social work or a related major, and has at least two years of practical experience in the field; or an individual between the age of 25-50, who has worked in the childcare profession for at least two years.
Last year, among all the foster children under the fund's care, 36 percent of the children were abused in their natural homes, 19 percent faced family crises, 19 percent were placed in foster homes because their families were unable to raise them for financial reasons and 10 percent had a parent who was serving time in prison.
"Due to the fact that many of these foster children have been traumatized physically or mentally, a foster family has to put in a lot of effort in helping them to recover and to reconstruct their lives," saiddChu Huei-hsiang (周慧香), the fund's social work director.
The fund is calling for more families to participate in its foster care program.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese