Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a circular on the celebration of June 30 as “Foster Family Day”.

Erdoğan stated in the circular published in the Official Gazette that children need a family environment that will protect and nurture them while also providing their social and economic requirements for a healthy growth.

Erdoğan stressed the importance of the family as the necessary and fundamental setting for children to grow securely and become contributing members of society, and noted the following:

“In cases the family fails to fulfil this responsibility, child may be placed under state protection. Foster family service is a critical component of family-centered social service models for our children in need of protection. Foster family service aims to unite children under protection with foster families willing to give individual care, protection, affection, support and custody. It is critical to promote and raise public awareness about the foster family service, which has been encouraged in recent years through various efforts. To that end, June 30 will be observed as ‘Foster Family Day’, since it is also the founding day of the Ankara Association for the Protection of Children, an institution that had long provided vital services in the field of child protection.”

Events and activities will be held under the auspices of the Presidency

Erdoğan indicated that the events and activities planned for June 30 Foster Family Day would be conducted in cooperation with relevant public institutions and organizations in accordance with the principles and procedures to be established by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, and he announced that the events and activities chosen by the Presidency could be held under the auspices of the Presidency.

Indicating that the logos, banners, announcements, invitations, advertisements and similar documents, as well as visual documents for these events, would be used in accordance with the corporate identity to be developed in collaboration with the above-mentioned Ministry, Erdoğan noted that the expenses of the projects and events would be covered by the relevant public institutions and organizations.

The Circular also included Erdoğan’s instructions on providing all kinds of support and assistance that may be required for the events aimed at publicizing and expanding foster family services by all public institutions and organizations without delay. (ILKHA)