DSWD Region 3 assistant RD for administration Maribel Blanco with adoptive parents Romeo and Jane Evangelista and children. Contributed Photo
THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) wants to shorten the process of adoption which is deemed to be favorable for both the adoptive parent and the child. For the past three (3) years alone, DSWD Region 3 has a total of 64 successful adoption placements. This number can be improved by pushing Senate Bill 1070 into law.
The legal adoption has a tedious process, and currently has two phases: the administrative and judicial. The process of obtaining a judicial decree from courts usually takes years which entails a high cost for petitioners.
Just last year, Senate Bill 1070, also known as Domestic Administrative Adoption Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Grace Poe. It targets to hasten the process of adoption, minimize the cost of the petitioners and de-clog numerous court cases thus, benefiting the public in general and encourage more individuals or couples to adopt children.
The following is the proposed new process:
Step 1. A licensed social worker from the social service office of the local government unit, or any child-placing or child-caring agency shall conduct a case study of the adoptee, their biological parent(s), as well as the Home Study Report of the adopter(s), and shall submit the report and recommendations on the matter to the respective Regional Office of the Department as among the supporting documents of the petition.
Step 2. There shall be a matching process for cases of legally available children thirty (30) calendar days after the issuance of the CDCLAA or the next matching conference, whichever is applicable.
Step 3. Once a child is matched to an approved prospective adoptive parent(s) and was subsequently accepted, the Department shall authorize the pre-adoption placement of the child to the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs).
Step 4. The Department shall give the adopter(s) trial custody of the adoptee for a period of at least six (6) months within which the parties are expected to adjust psychologically and emotionally to each other and establish a bonding relationship.
Step 5. The thriving parent- child relationship during the Supervised Trial Custody period as substantiated by the monthly monitoring report of the social worker shall give rise to the filing of a Petition for Adoption.
Step 6. The petition shall be filed with the Office of the Social Welfare and Development Officer (SWDO) of the city or municipality where the PAPs reside.
Step 7. The SWDO shall have three (3) days to examine the petition and its supporting documents and determine whether the same is sufficient in form and substance.
– If the SWDO finds the petition sufficient in form and substance, the SWDO shall forward the petition and the supporting documents within seven (7) days to the Regional Director of the DSWD Field Office. The Regional Director shall review the petition and the supporting documents.
-The Regional Director shall transmit a copy of his/ her recommendation and 4 records to the Office of the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
Step 8. If the supervised trial custody is satisfactory to the parties and the Department is convinced from the trial custody report, a decree of adoption shall be issued.
