Governor Alejandro Armenta Mier submitted a bill to the Puebla State Congress seeking to transform family integration processes in the state, with the aim of strengthening the adoption process.
The proposal calls for adding Articles 112 BIS and 112 TER to the Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents of the State of Puebla, with the primary objective of safeguarding the best interests of children and streamlining institutional social assistance mechanisms.
According to the official document submitted to the Legislative Branch, the central focus of the reform is the formal creation of the Technical Council for Adoptions as a specialized body within the State System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family (SEDIF). This new legal and administrative entity will be responsible for designing, evaluating, and overseeing foster care programs and adoption procedures for minors in vulnerable situations.
The new Technical Council will be composed of a voting structure, headed by the General Directorate of the State System for Integral Family Development (SEDIF) as president and the Office of the Attorney for the Protection of Children and Adolescents as secretary. It will also permanently include the heads of the Directorate of Social Assistance Centers, the Department of Adoptions, and various state shelters, complemented by a medical team specializing in pediatrics, psychiatry, and psychology.
To guarantee transparency and legality in every case file, the initiative includes the incorporation of advisors with voting rights from key institutions such as the Superior Court of Justice, the State Attorney General’s Office, and the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance. This collegiate body will hold regular quarterly sessions and extraordinary sessions when urgent circumstances require it to issue rulings on cases involving institutionalized minors.
Among the most important powers granted to this Council is the rigorous analysis of the medical, psychological, and legal situation of children and adolescents under the guardianship of the State. Similarly, this body will be the only one authorized to approve or deny the issuance of Suitability Certificates to applicants, as well as to assign children to families on the waiting list.
The proposed legislation also grants the Council strict oversight and follow-up powers, allowing it to continuously evaluate the dynamics of cohabitation and the post-adoption processes through detailed social work reports. Should it be determined that the optimal conditions for integration between the child and the pre-adoptive foster family have not been established, the body will have the authority to suspend or reassess the continuation of the process.
Finally, the transitional articles stipulate that the decree will enter into force the day after its publication in the Official Gazette of the State, repealing any conflicting provisions. From that moment, the Board of Directors of the State DIF System will have a period of 180 calendar days to issue the Internal Regulations that will govern the detailed operation of this new Technical Council. (MCJ)
Source: e-consulta
