Govt notifies new simplified adoption guidelines

In an interview to Millennium Post, Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi had said: “When I took over the Ministry, there was a huge need for changes in the existing guidelines of CARA. We have reformed those and made the process simple. It will be simplified further once the Act goes in. It gives specific responsibilities and punishment protocols to adoption centres.”

“We even organise adoption workshops all over India. There will also be a new foster care scheme. Under this, if a foster parent does not want to adopt, s/he can bring a child home and the government will pay the parent to take care of the child. Under this scheme, one can foster 2-3 children. We will keep a stringent check on people who opt for this scheme to ensure that children are not treated like servants,” she had said.

The revised guidelines have been <g data-gr-id="45">drafted</g> keeping in mind the issues and challenges faced by CARA, adoption agencies and prospective adoptive parents (PAPs). The guidelines intend to provide for more effective regulation on the adoption of <g data-gr-id="44">orphan</g>, abandoned and surrendered children and will bring in more transparency and efficiency in the adoption system. 

With the new guidelines in place, it will become possible for PAPs to track the status of their application, thereby, making the entire system more user-friendly. 

Besides, the Central Adoption Resource Information Guidance System (CARINGS), an e-governance measure created to facilitate the adoption process, has been revamped. CARINGS will facilitate the adoption of <g data-gr-id="50">maximum number</g> of children and ensure a smoother adoption process by checking undue delays. To ensure hassle-free adoption, CARINGS will have a centralised data of adoptable children and PAPs. Clear timelines for domestic and inter-country adoption have been laid down to ensure early <g data-gr-id="46">deinstitutionalisation</g> of children.

All District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) will be connected online to CARINGS. DCPUs will be responsible for publishing about abandoned children and the expenditure, if required, could be incurred under the Integrated Child Protection Units (ICPS) Fund. One DCPU member will also be a part of the adoption committee.

Adoption expenses for different category of PAPs prescribed, authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA) will have a provision of renewal after a period of five years and All adoptions (in-country or inter-country) to proceed on CARINGS, adoption outside CARINGS is strictly prohibited. The new simplified guidelines are available on the website of the Ministry of Women and Child Development “www.wcd.nic.in” and website of CARA “www.adoptionindia.nic.in.”