Thais And Foreigners Urged To Help Take Care Of Foster Kids

[webfact]

Home seeks families to take in foster kids

By The Nation

Chiang Mai

The Department of Social Development and Welfare's Viengping Home is looking for 20 families to join its foster home project.

The home's superintendent head, Jiraporn Chaoprayoon Yamamoto said the home, covering 17 northern provinces, has in its care 580 children and youths, who were abandoned since birth, or whose parents were in prison or were so poor they couldn't take care of them.

Department chief Pakorn Phanthu said the 10yearold project aimed to provide a better environment for children to grow up amid family love and warmth. The department will provide a monthly allowance of Bt2,000 per family along with commodities such as milk powder, clothes, and tuition fees.

Viengping Home has 137 foster families, although only 110 families receive the allowance due to budget limits, while the rest have volunteered to do it for no money.

The home will host a certificatebestowing ceremony on August 20 to thank its foster families. Pakorn said the department will get funds from the Englandbased Care for Children organisation and can give a Bt2,000 monthly allowance to 20 more families to take Viengping Home children into their care.

The attitude towards the children was the important criteria. Officials would then assess if the families were ready to take the kids in, he explained, after which officials would visit them twice a month.

The American mother of four, Connie Cummins, 50, said she came to Thailand 13 years ago following her NGO employee husband. While supporting her four kids, she also worked as a volunteer to take care of the Sahathai Foundation in Bangkok.

Two years later they moved to Chiang Mai where she also volunteered at Viengping Home, adopted threemonthold baby girl "Nong Thip", and raised her until she is now a six grader at international school. Cummins also joined the foster home project to take care of five toddlers.

In urging Thais or foreigners to help take care of children from Viengping Home - so that the kids have a chance to experience family life they hadn't known before - she said one didn't need to have a big house or wealth, but love, to do this.

-- The Nation 2011-08-19

[hagler]

Perhaps a new class of long term visa for foreigners should be created to fill this need?

Otherwise who in their right mind is going to foster a child when every 12 months when there is the potential be saying to her or him " sorry but your back to the orphange because our visa wasn't renewed"

Edited August 19, 2011 by hagler

[thaicbr]

I would imagine that the child would be classed as a thai dependent therefor very unlikely to NOT have your visa renewed.

If they did a special visa i can imagine the abuse of that like we see with the Education visa now.

[Crushdepth]

Will they allow foreigners to be foster parents?

[LuckyLew]

Perhaps a new class of long term visa for foreigners should be created to fill this need?

Otherwise who in their right mind is going to foster a child when every 12 months when there is the potential be saying to her or him " sorry but your back to the orphange because our visa wasn't renewed"

Too funnny, .... I was thinking the same thing when I read the story title ...

Come to Thailand ... spend lots of money ... raise our orphans ...

but make sure you leave thailand every three months ... or go to

Immigration to check in ...

[slipperx]

With all the fraud affecting me my kids might well be joining them soon!

[thaiIand]

give me a real permanant visa that does not require me to leave every couple months and ill take 2-3 cute ones happily..

Edited August 19, 2011 by thaiIand

[pomchop]

Hate to say it but i do hope they have a good system in place to verify and do some kind of checks on potential "farang parents" and sort out the perverts of which there seem to be a lot in Thailand. Sad state of affairs but giving a poor kid to a bad apple could be a horrible thing to do to a kid.

[jbhh]

I would imagine that the child would be classed as a thai dependent therefor very unlikely to NOT have your visa renewed.

If they did a special visa i can imagine the abuse of that like we see with the Education visa now.

If I read this correctly, it says in the article that they would inspect the foster parents' home and also would visited them twice a month thereafter, I expect that to be random, so abuse of this "way to get a visa" would be almost impossible I think...

It would be very interesting what the law really says... since you can get a visa to take care of your real child, I guess the same applies for an adopted one, no?

[mca]

I would imagine that the child would be classed as a thai dependent therefor very unlikely to NOT have your visa renewed.

If they did a special visa i can imagine the abuse of that like we see with the Education visa now.

If I read this correctly, it says in the article that they would inspect the foster parents' home and also would visited them twice a month thereafter, I expect that to be random, so abuse of this "way to get a visa" would be almost impossible I think...

It would be very interesting what the law really says... since you can get a visa to take care of your real child, I guess the same applies for an adopted one, no?

Yes adopting a Thai child entitles you to the same as if the child were your own blood. Foster child? Hmm not so sure about that.

[Kwasaki]

I think for sure they will do checks where children go surely that goes without saying I hope.

As for thinking it to be an easy way for extension of stay that would eliminate someone straight away I also hope.

Please enlighten me on the fraud and abuse side of things ?? I must be lucky enough to feel safe from that.

[jbhh]

Hate to say it but i do hope they have a good system in place to verify and do some kind of checks on potential "farang parents" and sort out the perverts of which there seem to be a lot in Thailand. Sad state of affairs but giving a poor kid to a bad apple could be a horrible thing to do to a kid.

Hate to say it but child abuse is something that is not so rare among Thais as you may think, I would actually tend to say an adopted child is general saver with a foreigner than a Thai. But you are right, in the end we can only hope that controlling body in place makes sure that abuse can't ever happen.

[seaeagle]

In order to give them a better life, many farangs here already foster kids, also forstering their mother, and sometimes fostering the whole family!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pomchop]

I think for sure they will do checks where children go surely that goes without saying I hope.

As for thinking it to be an easy way for extension of stay that would eliminate someone straight away I also hope.

Please enlighten me on the fraud and abuse side of things ?? I must be lucky enough to feel safe from that.

well i hope so as well...but i remember the goofball that claimed he killed the Joan bennet ramsey kid and was apparently a first class pervert was teaching undiscovered in Thailand...and i recall reading many stories over the years of perverts and wanted crooks who had managed to end up as teaching thai kids without anyone apparently doing much in the way of checking on who are these people....anyway...hopefully both the schools and the foster programs MIGHT at least attempt to weed out the bad apples and keep them away from the kids as much as possible...i'm sure it is not easy but not to do it could result in some very bad and sad situations.....

[jbhh]

I would imagine that the child would be classed as a thai dependent therefor very unlikely to NOT have your visa renewed.

If they did a special visa i can imagine the abuse of that like we see with the Education visa now.

If I read this correctly, it says in the article that they would inspect the foster parents' home and also would visited them twice a month thereafter, I expect that to be random, so abuse of this "way to get a visa" would be almost impossible I think...

It would be very interesting what the law really says... since you can get a visa to take care of your real child, I guess the same applies for an adopted one, no?

Yes adopting a Thai child entitles you to the same as if the child were your own blood. Foster child? Hmm not so sure about that.

Thank you I just now realized what foster kids means, English is not my native language, and in the article it also speaks of her adopting children, so I thought it;s the same.

Would be very interesting to see what the law says, could be to like a work permit, so as long as you have a foster child staying with you, you get a visa...

[Deez]

Bad idea on so many levels and clearly not thought through.

[Cnxforever]

great idea I think - as for Thais it does not matter so much who the kids grow up with (very often it's Grandma) as long as it is some kind of "family" environment and the children are given the love and protection they deserve.

For Thais family is everything - not having one is sad and heartbreaking.

If you are not able to foster a child you can always visit Viengping and donate / sponsor special food for the kids - after all "only a life lived for others is worth living" - did'nt even excentric Einstein say that!

[lovelaos]

Surely somebody wouldn't foster a child just to obtain a visa would they?

Is it really that difficult to get a visa to stay in Thailand through the proper channels?

If so, why stay there?

[JeffreyMcCollum]

This is something my Thai wife and daughter have talked about. Yet the story has not number or way to contact them.

Anyone have information ?

[cutejeab]

I love Connie Cummins, !!!!!

The American mother of four, Connie Cummins, 50, said she came to Thailand 13 years ago following her NGO employee husband. While supporting her four kids, she also worked as a volunteer to take care of the Sahathai Foundation in Bangkok.

Two years later they moved to Chiang Mai where she also volunteered at Viengping Home, adopted threemonthold baby girl "Nong Thip", and raised her until she is now a six grader at international school. Cummins also joined the foster home project to take care of five toddlers.

You cant imagine how many kids thats she have been taking care of in last 13 years!

[lovelaos]

This is something my Thai wife and daughter have talked about. Yet the story has not number or way to contact them.

Anyone have information ?

http://www.baanviengping.com/en/contactus.html

Google is a wonderful tool

[osiboy]

In order to give them a better life, many farangs here already foster kids, also forstering their mother, and sometimes fostering the whole family!!!!!!!!!!!!

even so, you still have to leave the country every 3 months ?........... there's gratitude for you !!

[Madivad]

Someone glossed on this earlier, bit wouldn't this be deemed work? Paid or unpaid, you're doing a job for a thai person. And it's in a field that's not really outside their scope of ability.

[richard_smith237]

It's not adopting its fostering. It's providing a temporary safe haven and home for children in extreme need.

I would expect the standard required of foster parents to be significantly high enough to prevent the system being taken advantage of.

Perhaps one of the requirements might be that the would be foster parents already have suitable visa's and pre-existing commitments in Thailand.

I suspect a minimum income would be a requirement. I suspect there would be a number of hoops to jump through ensuring that only the most sincere potential foster parents are cleared for the responsibility.

I doubt it will or should come with any visa benefits, there should not be any quid pro quo arrangements which place into the slightest question the intention of would be foster parents.

[Gary A]

I'm not crazy about kids but my wife is. I would put up with them because it would make my wife happy. She has enough love for a whole passel of them. She has checked into it and found that I am too old. She is 43 and I am 66.

[cbc]

I would donate some money each month but first would visit the place and meet the people that run the particular site or home where the children are kept.Same as done with children international .And would have to confirm with immigration first to ensure donating does not negate my visa.

[brd]

Perhaps a new class of long term visa for foreigners should be created to fill this need?

Otherwise who in their right mind is going to foster a child when every 12 months when there is the potential be saying to her or him " sorry but your back to the orphange because our visa wasn't renewed"

Too funnny, .... I was thinking the same thing when I read the story title ...

Come to Thailand ... spend lots of money ... raise our orphans ...

but make sure you leave thailand every three months ... or go to

Immigration to check in ...

lier poker players have become all the foreigners in the Thai Casino..............I am not a gambler at all personnally and I keep my cards by my chest at all times.......still learning bt not dreaming !

[billd766]

I'm not crazy about kids but my wife is. I would put up with them because it would make my wife happy. She has enough love for a whole passel of them. She has checked into it and found that I am too old. She is 43 and I am 66.

That lets me out then.

My wife is 46 and I am 67.

[TAWP]

give me a real permanant visa that does not require me to leave every couple months and ill take 2-3 cute ones happily..

"I take the twins, the fat one and the girl over there. 2k each and a Visa, huh? Good, put them in the cages in the back of my truck."

If someone cannot contain a Visa already then they shouldn't be allowed to be foster-parents.

[kimamey]

Hate to say it but i do hope they have a good system in place to verify and do some kind of checks on potential "farang parents" and sort out the perverts of which there seem to be a lot in Thailand. Sad state of affairs but giving a poor kid to a bad apple could be a horrible thing to do to a kid.

You're right that there need to be checks but to just single out potential farang parents is blatant racism so I don't think you would be a suitable foster parent for a start. Remember that some of these children have been abandoned by their non farang parents.

I would also think it would be necessary to make sure that any system was free from bribery as far as possible.