Many people think about becoming a sponsor of a child in care. It is a beautiful gesture, and we want to explain properly how it works. Affective sponsorship exists, is provided for by law and can change a child's life. But it has rules, and they exist to protect those who have already been through a lot.
What affective sponsorship is
It is a program that connects a child or teenager in care with a volunteer adult from the community. The godparent becomes a steady part of the child's life. They take the child out, spend special dates together, follow their schoolwork, talk and listen.
Brazil's Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) provides for sponsorship in article 19-B. According to the law, the goal is to build bonds outside the institution, to guarantee family and community life and to support the child's development in many areas of life.
Which children it is for
Affective sponsorship is not for every child in care. It is designed mainly for children with little chance of returning to their birth family or being adopted. These are usually older children, teenagers or groups of siblings who are likely to stay in care longer.
For these children, having a trusted adult outside the home makes a huge difference. Even more so when they turn 18 and leave care.
Each program decides which children take part, under the supervision of the courts. The care home does not choose on its own.
Why visiting is not enough
The 2009 Technical Guidelines for Care Services include an important warning. One-off visits from people who show up once and never come back can do harm. They expose children to "superficial bonds", the document says. The child gets attached, the person disappears, and that deepens the feeling of abandonment.
That is why the same Guidelines say affective sponsorship must include registration, screening, training and follow-up by a team of professionals, in partnership with the Children and Youth Court and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
How it works in São Paulo
In the state of São Paulo, sponsorship is regulated by the Court of Justice (TJSP), through Provisions 36/2014 and 40/2015 of the General Inspectorate of Justice. The usual path looks like this:
- Contact the Children and Youth Court in your area or check the list of participating districts on the TJSP website. Each court decides whether to offer the program and sets its own rules.
- Sign up for the program, following the rules of your district.
- Go through the social and psychological assessment done by the technical team.
- Take the training. It prepares you to understand life in care and your role in it.
- Wait for the introduction. Once you are approved, the team introduces you to a child, calmly and with support.
An important point: people registered in the adoption registry cannot take part in affective sponsorship (ECA, art. 19-B, § 2). The program is not a shortcut to adoption.
Other ways to sponsor
If you cannot take on the emotional commitment, the TJSP offers other options:
- Financial sponsorship: a money contribution, without necessarily building an emotional bond.
- Service sponsorship: you offer what you know how to do. It can be tutoring, a vocational course, health care, or a cultural or sports activity.
- Material sponsorship: donating goods, equipment or furniture.
The ECA also lets companies become sponsors. And there is ApadrinhARTE, from the TJSP, for people who want to take children in care to theaters, museums and shows, helping with tickets, transportation and snacks.
Before you decide, think about this
Affective sponsorship asks for consistency. Ask yourself:
- Do I have time to be there for months or years?
- Can I keep showing up regularly even when life gets busy?
- Am I ready to respect the rules of the home and of the courts?
If the answer is yes, contact the Children and Youth Court. If now is not the right time, that is okay. There are many other ways to help, like donating, supporting campaigns and offering your services.
Want to know how PROHACC can receive your support? Talk to us through the channels on this site.
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Sources
- Child and Adolescent Statute, Law 8.069/1990, art. 19-B (updated text on the Chamber of Deputies portal): https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/lei/1990/lei-8069-13-julho-1990-372211-normaatualizada-pl.html
- São Paulo Court of Justice. Affective Sponsorship: https://tjsp.jus.br/ApadrinhamentoAfetivo
- CNAS and CONANDA. Technical Guidelines: Care Services for Children and Adolescents, 2009, pp. 51 and 52: https://www.tjdft.jus.br/informacoes/infancia-e-juventude/informacoes/informacoes/instituicoes-de-acolhimento-1/orientacoes_tecnicas.pdf