Currently, 24,000 orphans and children with abusive or negligent parents are under the coverage of the State Welfare Organization of whom around 9,800 children are living in 600 welfare centers across the country. The rest of are living temporarily with ‘substitute families’, said Mohammad Nafariyeh, director general of children affairs at the SWO. “Substitute parents are not permanent adopters, as biological parents can wrest their children from the families by a court order,” after they sober down or accept their responsibilities, IRNA quoted him as saying.
The plan to hand over children with abusive or negligent parents temporarily to other families has been developed based on opinion of social experts that living with a good substitute family is better than residing at the best welfare center.
Almost all the substitute families are benefactors and therefore behave well with the children.
