Beijing Times – Frequently changing policies leave foster families in the lurch while orphanages’ privileges are difficult to curb

Following the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ new draft of the revised Guidelines for Foster Family Management – which critics say overlooks the rights of foster families – this article sympathetically describes rural Beijing families whose foster children have been taken back to orphanages. While orphanages argue that they can better provide for the children, some believe that they are instead motivated by financial interests. In addition to collecting more government subsidies, orphanages can also receive more donations from foundations if they take care of more children. At the same time, orphanages claim foster families often take in children as a source of income. The foster families interviewed, however, say that their subsidies are barely enough to cover the cost of care. Even so, they say they would be happy to go without the subsidies as long as they can be reunited with their children.