DAMMAM — Eastern Province Social Affairs has taken custody of seven orphans who were being fostered by families in various parts of the province. The decision was made after the orphans were believed to have been affected by problems within their foster families. They have been sent back to the orphanage in Dammam, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported. A source at the department said such incidents were rare in the region due to efforts to raise awareness among families about the importance of treating orphans kindly. He said social workers monitor the conditions of orphans in foster families and will not hesitate to take custody of them if they felt they were at risk of being harmed. He said the social workers thoroughly assess prospective foster parents before giving them the go-ahead to care for the orphans. He said there is a long waiting list for families who want to care for orphans, adding some of them were on the waiting list for more than a year. The Ministry of Social Affairs increased the monthly stipend given to foster families to SR3,000 for each child. Lateefa Al-Tamimi, a Social Affairs director in the Eastern Province, said there are 453 foster families in Dammam, Al-Khobar, Qatif, Jubail and Al-Ahsa. She said families have different reasons for adopting orphans. Recalling some amusing stories involving foster families, Al-Tamimi said one family decided to adopt an orphan because of the couple's inability to have children but immediately after they started fostering a child, the wife became pregnant. Al-Tamimi said the death of foster parents emotionally affects the orphans because they become parentless for a second time. The ministry has set strict conditions for fostering orphans. The family must be originally Saudi, financially and socially capable and abide by the ministry's rules. Al-Tamimi said the ministry, however, does make some exemptions to its rules whenever necessary. The ministry takes away custody from families who go through a divorce, contract contagious diseases, or if the child is subjected to any kind of harassment, she said. Al-Tamimi said most families save the monthly allowance in a special bank account for their foster children until they grow up.
