Mbabane – Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla has officially launched the National Foster Care Placement Committee, aiming to strengthen Eswatini’s child protection system and ensure children grow up in safe and supportive homes.
The commissioning ceremony, held yesterday, comes at a time when increasing numbers of children are orphaned or abandoned due to poverty, abuse, and family breakdowns. The committee will review and approve foster care applications, recommend placement arrangements including the child’s age, duration, and number of children in a home, and manage terminations and transitions. It will also push for resources and policies to improve the foster care system.
Dladla called on individuals providing informal foster care to register at their nearest Social Welfare Office to help the government better understand foster care needs and develop effective programs. She also recognized Residential Care Facilities for their ongoing support to children without parental care.
Eswatini currently has 135 children under foster care programs, with three successfully reunited with their birth families. There are 167 registered foster families and 320 trained and certified foster parents nationwide.
The Foster Care Placement Committee is chaired by Makhosi Simelane, DPMO Under Secretary, and includes representatives from CANGO, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Royal Eswatini Police Service, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Tinkhundla and Development, Bulembu Ministries, and SOS Children’s Villages. A seat for the Attorney General’s Office is still vacant.
An Appeals Committee has also been established, chaired by Mcusi Shongwe, DPMO Social Welfare Director, with members Andile Nhleko, SOS National Director, and Nomcebo Nkomo Nhlengetfwa, Director of the National Children Services Department.
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