Lana Prlić: Enable all relative foster parents to receive compensation

(Patria) - MP in the FBiH Parliament Lana Prlić (SDP BiH) has submitted a Bill on Amendments to the Law on Fostering in FBiH, which enables all foster parents to receive compensation. The existing Law prevents relatives such as grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters, brothers, and grandchildren from receiving foster care compensation if they take in a close relative.

"Children, as well as older beneficiaries, who are not placed in a foster family must go to social welfare institutions, even though fostering as a family form of care is much better and healthier for the beneficiaries. Foster care compensation is minimal, currently the highest in Sarajevo Canton and amounts to 172 KM. However, close relatives do not receive even this amount," warns Prlić.

She points out that with the Law she is proposing, all foster parents would be able to receive this compensation.

"In practice, it has been shown that grandmothers and grandfathers who want to take in their grandchildren for fostering sometimes do not do so because they live on minimal pensions and are afraid they will not be able to provide a normal life for the children. They believe that they will have better conditions in an institution, and therefore do not opt for fostering. This is just one example. Our foster parents deserve much, much more, but compensation for all foster parents is the minimum that we believe the current Government will not and cannot refuse, but it is also a step that can sometimes mean the difference between accepting and refusing fostering," states Lana Prlić.

The SDP also states that fostering is incomparably more affordable, meaning that the placement of a child in a social welfare institution founded by FBiH costs the state 1050 KM per month, while fostering costs incomparably less. They also note that there are very few such close relative foster parents, and last month, for example, there were only nine in Sarajevo Canton.

"In neighboring Serbia, foster parents even have pension insurance, as well as a number of other benefits such as assistance for equipping a child for school, paying for transportation to school, etc. Precisely because of this, as much as 90% of children in Serbia are placed in foster families instead of institutions. At the same time, all of this costs Serbia less than what we in BiH pay for institutional placement. We are aware of the situation and for such serious changes, we will wait for a new progressive government in FBiH, however, we believe that there is no obstacle to making at least this small concession for now and enabling compensation for all foster parents," Prlić concludes.