WATCH: Malta Starts Offering Parents Up To €1,000 If They Adopt A Child Locally
Malta will start reimbursing parents up to €1,000 if they adopt a child from a local institution.
“Some may argue that money isn’t the main thrust behind why people adopt children, which is certainly true,” Family Minister Michael Falzon told a press conference.
“I’m convinced that foster parents and parents who adopt children aren’t motivated by money in the slightest, but government aid will make things easier for them.”
The grant is intended to reimburse legal costs and other costs related to adoption, and parents must present receipts to the Directorate for Alternative Care.
Alfred Grixti, CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, admitted that some parents might be tempted to adopt from overseas rather than locally to reduce the chances of their children coming into contact with their biological parents.
Parents who adopt a child overseas are already eligible to a maximum grant of €10,000.
However, he noted that the UN gives all children a right to know and meet up with their biological parents, and praised those Maltese parents who ended up traveling with their adopted children to their country of origin for them to meet their biological parents.
Falzon said his ministry has now completed 90% of its budget measures and over 90% of its electoral manifesto.
“The Labour Party’s historic election victory four years ago is the biggest proof that the government is there for the people,” he said, citing a government slogan.
Would you consider adopting a child locally?
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