Sri Lankan authorities are steering towards implementing foster care programme and only placing a child in an orphanage as a last resort.

The commissioner of the Probation and Child Care Department for the Eastern province had sent a circular preventing further addition of children into existing orphanages and establishing new orphanages/children homes.

Foster care is being implemented with involvement of various departments and related charitable organisations.

Type of Foster care implemented in Sri Lanka is known as Family and friends/ Kinship foster care where a child (orphan) is fostered by the most fit and suitable person from the extended family (Grandmother, Uncle, Aunt, and close family members).

Details of orphans are collected by the Department of Probation and Child Care. Other charitable and community organisations also help in identifying orphans. The department also identifies the most suitable foster parent from the extended family. Once the foster parent is established, officials from the Department of Probation and Child Care apply for permission from the magistrate. Once the permission is granted, the child is united with the foster parent and SLR 500 is given to each child per month.

On most occasions these children are cared for by members of the extended family due to natural affection. They apply to the magistrate to foster, through the department of Probation and child care.

In most instances foster parents are also poor as they would have lost their livelihoods and income generating recourses due to the Tsunami and in the conflict. Therefore these families need additional support to look after these children.

AEDU-Sri Lanka identifies these families and provides monthly financial support for these children or initiates a stable income generating programme for these families and monitor the wellbeing and educational progress of these children.

AEDU-Sri Lanka extended this programme to other poverty stricken families as well: where the family has lost the bread winner, where parents are physically or mentally handicapped, where the family income is poor , where the family lives in refugee camps and the bread winner is unable to work.

The details of these children and families are collected with help from the schools, members/volunteers of AEDU-Sri Lanka and well-wishers in the community.

Once details of these children and families are received, Members of AEDU-Sri Lanka visit the family and personally verify the data and assess their income. According to their financial status the amount the beneficiary receives is determined. A joint bank account is opened for the child and foster parent or parent. Funds are directly debited to their account from the account of AEDU-Sri Lanka. If a family is suitable to become involved in an income generating project, AEDU will seek assistance from donors to sponsor this programme.

Members of the AEDU-Sri Lanka, school teachers, volunteers and well-wishers will regularly monitor the general wellbeing and progress of education. If a child is being exploited or the wellbeing is affected, an alternative care such as looking for another foster parent, placing in a school hostel or placing in an orphanage will be sought with the help of department of Probation and Child Care.

Placing a child in an orphanage could become the only resort where fostering becomes impossible.

AEDU-International and AEDU-Sri Lanka only encourages keeping children in orphanages as a temporary measure until another suitable foster parent is identified. While in the orphanage AEDU-Sri Lanka will continue to provide financial support to the child and with permission of orphanage continue to monitor the wellbeing.