Labor Minister Effie Achtsioglou and Alternate Social Solidarity Minister Theano Fotiou announced the launch of an electronic platform to handle applications for adoption and fostering, through which members of the public can apply to adopt or foster a child.

“Today we have put into action a law that was ‘born’ in order to serve children, which it will do since it is, in reality, the implementation of a law that was ground-breaking by the standards of social welfare in the country,” Achtsioglou said.

The ministers made the announcement while visiting the Attica Child Protection Services Section, The Mother.

Achtsioglou said that citizens could also go in person to the social welfare centers in their area.

She noted that the law brought to Parliament by Fotiou created an entirely new foundation for adoption and foster care, establishing full transparency, documentation, and expert control over the process, so that it was a pleasant for both the people entering into it and for the children needing a home.

Describing the previous state of affairs as a “black page” for social welfare in Greece, Achtsioglou pointed out that it had no clear procedures, no expert input and no digital data “so we didn’t know how many children were in institutions.”

Under the new system, she explained, the state will have a clear picture of how many children are in its care and each child will have its own electronic file.