14 children placed with families under fostering system last year

The Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare has reported that 14 children under state care were placed with families through the fostering system last year. The ministry revealed this while presenting its annual report for 2025 to the Human Rights and Gender Committee of the People's Majlis. The report highlights the ministry's ongoing efforts to find families for all children under state care, aiming to end the practice of housing children in state-run centers and instead placing them with willing families or foster families. The ministry also works to find families for elderly individuals under state care. According to the report, many people have expressed interest in taking children under state care into their homes. By the end of the year, 14 children under state care had been provided with family protection through the fostering system. Additionally, efforts to reunite children with their own families resulted in 22 children being returned to their families. However, 18 new children were taken into state care during the year. By the end of the year, a total of 37 children were under state protection. Furthermore, 33 children were transferred to safe homes established across the islands. The ministry stated that although individuals or children may need to be taken into state care depending on circumstances, the goal is to find the protection of a family for that person or child as quickly as possible.