Baby boy who was abandoned at a bus stop near Cautata currently under Department of Social Welfare's care

The newborn baby boy who was abandonded by her mother at a bus stop near Cautata Village is currently under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and is being looked after by medical staff at the CWM Hospital.

Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Jennifer Poole says in cases of abandoned babies, their objective is to find families that will love them and is willing to provide for them, and this is done through foster care and finally adoption.

She says the Director of Social Welfare will assume legal guardianship through a care order under the Ministry’s legislative responsibility for the care and protection of the children of Fiji.

Poole says these include the adoption of children, institutional and foster care for abandoned and orphaned children.

She says since 2010, the mandatory reporting of child welfare cases is under the Child Welfare Act of 2010.

Poole says if the Ministry can verify the identity of the mother, and trust that she has the support of her families, then her child will be returned to her.

When questioned by Fijivillage if adoption was also part of the Ministry's plans for the baby, Poole says the grace period given for families is 6 weeks and if no one comes forward for the child, then that is the option they will take.