- Headline: "A Warm Embrace for Children of Unwed Mothers"
- Subheading: Foster Care as a Social Movement, Led by Holt Children's Services
- Source: Maeil Business Newspaper
- Date of Publication: March 15, 1976
- Summary:
As the rising number of unwed mothers becomes a growing social issue, a new approach to child welfare is taking shape. In a movement largely led by housewives, volunteers are stepping forward to provide temporary foster care for infants born to unwed mothers before they are adopted into domestic or international families. These foster mothers care for the children for a period ranging from five months to one year.
The foster care system has become one of the core initiatives of adoption agencies since it was first introduced in 1967 by Holt Children's Services. Before its implementation, all abandoned children were placed in orphanages, where emotional deprivation led to abnormal development. Social workers concluded that children fared better in ordinary family settings rather than orphanages, and since then, the program has expanded successfully and plans to grow continuosly.
To qualify as a foster family, applicants must be Christian and legally married, have no physical or mental disabilities, maintain a stable income, demonstrate love for children, and show an interest in social welfare. They may have a diverse household structure (e.g., parents, grandparents, siblings), but should not have biological children under the age of six. The foster mother must have at least an elementary school education and prior child-rearing experience. Women who are too young or too old are not eligible.
Children raised in these foster homes are prioritized for domestic adoption, while others are placed with families in the United States and Europe. The prevailing welfare system for unwed mothers and their children has been structured around the separation of mother and child, wherein the infant is placed in foster care before being sent for adoption. Within this framework, the physical warmth and emotional bond traditionally provided by the biological mother have been replaced by those of foster mothers and adoptive parents.
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