Social services director becomes foster parent to 2.5-year-old
Nigde Family and Social Services Provincial Director, Hilal Unal, now assumes the role of a mother to little Serif, whom she met during her tenure as an administrator in a facility in Malatya’s child care homes.
After completing the necessary procedures, Unal became the foster mother of 2.5-year-old Serif, and they have been living together for approximately one-and-a-half years.
Having served for 13 years in the Provincial Directorates of Family and Social Services, Unal stated that they are constantly engaged with disadvantaged individuals, mobilizing all state resources to assist them. Unal recounted how, amid emotional challenges, she would visit the children residing in care homes, playing with them, and finding solace in their unconditional love. She described these care homes as a form of rehabilitation center for them.
‘Your service recipients become your family’
Reflecting on her early years in the role, Unal highlighted her voluntary fostering of children, saying, “I began visiting all the children in the living facility where Serif stayed. I started exchanging holiday greetings with them. When you work in our institutions, your service recipients become your family, so you don’t celebrate holidays first with your own family. You prioritize those service recipients who are your real family because they always come first in your life.”
Unal expressed that over time, her bond with Serif strengthened. She mentioned that Serif started speaking at the age of 2.5 and would hug her, calling her “mom.”
Unal’s concerns about single parenting
Expressing the profound impact of this relationship, Unal said: “Initially, I had concerns about whether I could handle it. I’m not married, and I’m a single parent. We don’t have a father figure as a role model. Will we be able to navigate this process comfortably? I discussed it with my family, and they all supported my decision. Initially, they also had different concerns because, in foster families, we all have this concern, ‘What if they take the child from us?’ But the only thing I said to them was, ‘But what if they don’t take him? If it’s a day, a week, or however long the child spends with me, I shouldn’t deprive him of that happiness.’ After this explanation, my family also accepted, and we started living together.”
Children never reject unconditional love
Unal explained that, like with every foster family, there were about five months of interviews and evaluations before she was designated as Serif’s foster parent.
She expressed that previously, she always prioritized herself, but after Serif, everything changed.
“Whatever he wanted, I would do immediately. After Serif came into my life, my priorities changed. I’m a mother now, and my son is my top priority. Since he joined our family, he has socialized so much that the early days and months seem like a distant memory. My son adapted quickly because he embraces everything you give him, and a child never rejects unconditional love. I was once focused solely on my work, which is still very important to me, but when it comes to my son, I can easily set work aside.”
‘Every child should have a home’
Unal emphasized that she learned a lot from Serif and he touched her life.
“We always told our families, ‘They will be like medicine to you.’ And they always responded, ‘We will be medicine to them.’ In other words, they touch your life so beautifully that they make you forget your negativity, your anxiety about the future, and perhaps your unhappiness. Are you feeling very bored, very stressed? Are you sitting and crying? They come and hug you, saying, ‘Mommy, don’t cry.’ That’s enough for you. It’s more valuable than all the support in the world,” she said.
Unal emphasized that every child deserves a home and urged citizens to be sensitive to this issue.
