Tricia
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Overseas adoptionsWith all the furore regarding Madonna's adoption of a child from Malawi, I was shocked (but unfortunately not surprised) to see in the Mail today that a family from Malawi who have lived in England for some years, are not being allowed to bring over the wife's 4 year old niece who was orphaned when her mother died. The child is apparently living with her great aunt, under sufferance, and has no-one else to take care of her.
The adoption has apparently gone through in Malawi, but the family are having to jump through hoops here. Both parents are working, have a nice home, three lovely children and promised the wife's sister before she died that they would care for her daughter, but red tape is almost strangling them. In the meantime the poor child is rapidly sinking into depression.
I know Social Services have to err on the side of caution, particularly bearing in mind cases such as that of Victoria Climbie, but surely they could allow the child to be brought over here on compassionate grounds whilst the relevant checks were made. Surely this family would make far better adoptive parents than Madonna, even though they have nothing like her money.
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