INTRODUCTION &
PROCEDURE
In pursuance of its constitutional mandate, the Government of India has
evolved a National Policy for the Welfare
of Children. The thrust of this policy is summed up in the following
words:
"The Nation's children are a supremely important
asset. Their nurture and solicitude are our responsibility. Children's
programme shall find a prominent part in our national plans for the development
of human resources, so that our children grow up to become robust citizens,
physically fit, mentally alert and morally healthy, endowed with the skills and
motivations needed by society. Equal opportunities for development to all
children during the period of growth should
be our aim, for this would serve our larger purpose of reducing
inequality and ensuring social justice."
Following upon the above mandate, the Govt, of India
has evolved several programmes to ensure the betterment of children and their
development in a wholesome manner. The Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment, Govt, of India has been mandated, amongst others, with the welfare of children in difficult
circumstances. The rehabilitation of such children through adoption is
one of the major planks of the Ministry's policies for children. This policy keeps in mind the fact that the full and
wholesome growth of a child is possible only in an atmosphere of parental love
and guidance. It recognizes the family as the Central fulcrum around which both
mental and physical development of a child is given full opportunity to
blossom.
In pursuance of land-mark judgement of the Supreme Court of India in the
Laxmi Kant Pandey Vs. Union of India case of 1984, the Central Adoption
Resource Agency (CARA) was established by the Ministry and subsequently the Revised
Guidelines for the Adoption of Indian
children were issued in 1995 to provide a frame work of Rules for regulating
and monitoring inter-country adoptions. These Guidelines are now applicable all
over the country and they provide a uniform mechanism for processing cases of Inter-country adoptions. Of late the Ministry has
been contemplating the need to provide a similar framework of Guidelines for
monitoring and processing of in-country adoptions. Both the Supreme
Court in its above judgement and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights
of the Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989 as well as the Hague Convention on Inter-country
adoption of 1993 clearly lay down that the best interest of the child
without a family is served by providing it an opportunity to be placed with a
family within its own socio-cultural milieu. Thus every child has a right to be
considered for placement with a family belonging to its own national and
cultural background within the country. Inter-country adoption is therefore, to
be seen as an option, which is to be considered only when the above is not
possible. This is also prescribed in the Guidelines governing inter-country
adoptions
The
importance of In-country adoption is, self-evident. There is need to ensure
that not only In-country adoption is
actively encouraged and propagated throughout the country, but also a well
formulated procedure is followed for the purpose. The Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, Govt, of India has now
decided to issue common Guidelines for the procedure that needs to be undertaken
by adoption Homes/Institutions before filing adoption petitions under Hindu
Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA), Juvenile Justice (Care &
Protection of Children) Act, 2000 (JJ Act) and also Guardianship
Petitions under Guardian & Wards Act, 1890. These Guidelines do not
affect the provisions in the existing Acts and laws but serve to provide a
procedure for processing adoption cases before they are actually brought before
the competent authorities/courts under the aforementioned Acts for orders. The
Guidelines will also ensure that the best interests of the child are protected
and all adoptions are legally processed through licensed Homes/Institutions only.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority is the nodal body of the
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to deal with all adoption matters.
After due consideration of all aspects and consultations with experts in this
field, the Government of India, hereby issues the Guidelines for In-country
Adoption that shall come into effect immediately and will supercede this
Ministry's earlier Circular No.1-4/98 (CARA) Dt.14.09.1998. The Ministry of
Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, reserves to itself the
power, at its discretion to make such amendments, additions, deletions or
alternations in these Guidelines as are deemed necessary from time to time.
AIMS fk OBJECTS : The Guidelines for In-country adoption aim:
•
to regulate
and facilitate a common procedure for In-country adoptions throughout the
country;
•
to encourage
adoption of destitute & orphan children within the country.
1.1
ADOPTION HOWIES
1.1.1 Role & Functions of LAPAs
All such Licensed Adoption
Placement Agencies for In-country adoptions will be registered under the
Societies Registration Act, 1860. They will adhere to any guideline or rule
laid down by the State Government/Central Government governing in-country adoption
from time to time. As such they will obtain license from the State Government
to run child care homes and recognition/permission to place children in
adoption within the country and will be known as Licensed Adoption Placement
Agencies (LAPAs). Adoption Homes which have been recognised to also undertake inter-country adoption by the Govt.of India will
be called Recognised Indian Placement Agencies (RIPAs)
Details
of all Children admitted by LAPAs will be entered in the admission register in the
format prescribed at Annexure-I.
All LAPAs will be members of the nearest Adoption Coordinating Agency.
They
will maintain a separate list of Indian couples/individuals registered with them as prospective
adoptive parent(s).
All the LAPAs must have a high
standard of child care facilities and observe prescribed & adequate
standards in child care as per the broad criteria placed at
Annexure-IV. For children, between 3 and 6 years proper recreational and
pre-school educational facilities must be provided.
It will be mandatory for all
the LAPAs to have qualified staff. The following staff should be available in a
home for 10 children;
1.
Superintendent 1
2.
Nurse-cum-supervisor 1
3.
Full time or part time Doctor
preferably Paediatrician 1
4.
Social Worker 1
5.
Ayas (for 10 children) 4
6.
Accounts and Administrative staff 1
7.
Chowkidar 1
The above is the recommended staff structure and it may vary in
proportion to the number of children and
size of the Home. The professional staff such as Nurses and Social
Workers should have the relevant qualifications such as Degree/Diploma in
Nursing and MSW/BSW respectively.
Every LAPA has a moral and legal responsibility to function within the
ambit of the law and in the best interest of the child. While admitting an
orphan or destitute child, the Home will give a name to the child, record
briefly the social background of the child,
record identification marks of the child, record height and weight of the
child, conduct medical examination of the child and get the child photographed.
In case of all new arrivals, the local authority should be informed
within 24 hours and in case of admission of any abandoned child, the Home will
file FIR with the nearest Police Station and inform the local authority and the
CWC within 24 hours.
A monthly report on the number
of children available will be submitted to the State Adoption Cell of the State
Govt. The death of any child will also be reported to the local authority, ACA
& State Adoption Cell immediately, giving details, within 48 hours. The
Death Certificate alongwith the photograph, shall be kept in the personal record file counter signed by the Office bearer
of the LAPA. Every LAPA shall maintain a separate file for each child with the
child's complete case history. Every child should have a Child Study
Report which shall be shown to the prospective adoptive parents. Format of such
a report is placed at Annexure-V.
All
registered prospective adoptive parent(s) may avail counseling facilities which
is to be given free by the LAPA. They should be counselled in detail and made
aware of
the legal obligation to be placed upon them once a child has been adopted, the
rights of the child itself, the various Acts under which a child can be placed
with the family, procedures for obtaining birth certificate etc.
The LAPAs will submit a list
of children available with them with relevant information
every month to the ACA and State Adoption Cell to facilitate search for suitable
adoptive parent(s) who may be registered with them.
While filing an application
for adoption or placement of a child in the appropriate Court, the LAPA will
also be a co-respondent. The child will be in the custody of the LAPA until the
final placement takes place through the Court order. Therefore, parent(s) cannot directly file a petition and the
details of the biological unwed mother cannot be disclosed to the
parent(s) as a part of the petition. If violation of these
provisions come to notice, action will be taken
against the LAPA by the State
Government. The surrender document should be treated as confidential and
submitted
only to the court. The LAPA must ensure that adoption petitions are filed in
the court
expeditiously and render all cooperation to the court for obtaining early orders.
xii. The
LAPA will send a monthly report to the ACA and the State Adoption Cell as
perAnnexure II.
1.1.2 Mode of Admission of children of LAPA
A child can be
admitted to the LAPA by two modes:
I.
Direct surrender by biological parent(s)/unwed mother
II.
Child abandoned in the LAPA or abandoned elsewhere
brought by a third party
or police or referred by the Child Welfare Committee.
1.1.3 Surrender of a Child by biological parents (s)
I. In the case of surrender of a
child, the biological parent(s) should be counselled
and duly informed by the LAPA concerned of the effect of their decision and the
alternatives available for the care and maintenance of the child. No LAPA will
directly or through agents, attempt to persuade the biological parent(s) to
surrender their children with monetary or other incentives.
II.
The surrender document should be
executed truly by the biological parent(s) with no compulsion, payment or
compensation of any kind by anyone.
III.
The parent(s) should be informed by the LAPA of their
right to reclaim the child within 60 days from the date of the surrender. They
should be made aware that after the period of 60 days the surrender documents
will become irrevocable and the child will be considered free for adoption and
the LAPA will be free to place the child in adoption or guardianship.
IV.
The surrender document should be executed on stamp
paper in the presence of two responsible witnesses of whom one should be
responsible person who is not an employee of the organization. The documents
will also be signed by a Notary/Oath Commissioner. The LAPA should be able to
produce these witnesses if the necessity arises. The responsibility for the
authenticity of the surrender document would be on the LAPA. In case of a minor
surrendering a child, at least one signature(s) of parent(s)/relative(s) of the
minor should be obtained in the presence of the minor. The State Govt, will
have the right to cross check all surrender
documents and copies of these are to be sent to the Adoption Cell/Department.
During the surrender process, the LAPA should ensure that:
a. if a child born in wedlock is
surrendered, both parents sign the surrender document
and in case a parent(s) is dead, proof of death is furnished. Where the death
certificate is not available, a certificate
from local Sarpanch/Panchayat/Govt. Authority
should suffice.
b. In
case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother herself and none else can
surrender
the child. If she is a minor, the signature of an accompanying relative
will be obtained
on the surrender document.
c. If the surrender is effected by any person other
than the biological parent(s), the same
procedure is followed as that for an abandoned child under the JJ Act 2000, since the
child will be treated as abandoned.
procedure is followed as that for an abandoned child under the JJ Act 2000, since the
child will be treated as abandoned.
d. When a child is born to a married
couple but is surrendered by one biological parent
and the whereabouts of the other are not known the same procedure is followed
as
that for an abandoned child.
e. If the
document of surrender is considered invalid/incomplete by the State Govt, it
may
direct the concerned Agency to follow the same procedure as under the JJ
Act-2000.
Any such direction should however be communicated to the Agency within 15 days
of
receiving the copy of the surrender documents.
1 1,4 Abandoned
Child
vi. The procedure regarding
abandoned children is prescribed by the Juvenile Justice
(Care & Protection of Children) Act-2000. While the CWC (Child
Welfare Committee) is the final authority to dispose of cases for the care,
protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of the children (Section
31.1 of the said Act), a child can be
produced before the Committee by the following persons (Section 32.1 of the said
Act):
a)
any police officer or special juvenile police unit or
a designated police officer;
b)
any public servant;
c)
Childline, a registered voluntary organisation or by
such other voluntary organisation or an
agency as may be recognised by the State Government;
d)
any social worker or a public
spirited citizen authorised by the State Government; or
e)
by the child itself.
vii. Wherever a LAPA receives an
abandoned child under its care it will immediately file a First Information
Report in the concerned Police Station and make an application to CWC within 24
hours seeking permission to keep custody of the child. viii. The LAPA may initiate the process of
clearance from CWC (Child Welfare Committee) at the earliest, in the case of
abandoned children and the Child Welfare Committee will make all possible
efforts within a period of two months to declare the child legally free for
adoption.
ix. In the case of abandoned children the
procedure for declaring such children as legally free for adoption as laid down
under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 shall
apply. An abandoned child can be given in adoption only when the Child Welfare
Committee under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act,
2000, declares such a child to be legally free for adoption. An abandoned child
will be legally free for adoption when such an order is signed by at
/
least two members of the Child Welfare Committee as per Sec. 41(5)(a) of
the J J Act. 2000. On receipt of a report under section 32, the Committee or
any police officer or special juvenile police unit or the designated police
officer shall hold an inquiry in the prescribed manner and the Committee, on
its own or on the report from any person or agency as mentioned in sub-section
(1) of section 32 of JJ Act-2000, may pass an order to send the child to the
children's home for speedy inquiry by a social worker or child welfare officer.
The inquiry under this section will be completed within such shorter period as
may be fixed by the Committee. x. Where
there is no CWC functioning, the District Collector or any other authority empowered
by the State Government for the purpose may issue the Certificate of
Abandonment.
1.1.5 Procedure For Incountry Adoption; Stage I
o Prospective adoptive parent(s) should
register themselves with the local RIPA/LAPA
or Adoption Coordinating Agency or with the State Adoption Cell.
Stage I!
o A home study report of the prospective
adoptive parents will be prepared by the social worker of the Agency. To allay
the fears and apprehensions of the prospective adoptive parent(s), pre-adoptive
counseling sessions will be undertaken by the social worker during the
preparation of the home study report. Assessing the ability of a couple to
parent a child not born to them is of crucial importance in a successful
adoption. Therefore, their suitability to care for an unrelated child is
assessed through this home study and counselling. Documents relating to the
financial and health status of the prospective parent(s) will be part of the
Home Study Report.
o In case of Inter-State adoption applications
by parent(s), they will be accompanied by Home Study prepared by a qualified
social worker working in a RIPA/LAPA. Where State Govt.'s have officially
delegated such work for its Officials, the Home Study Report could be prepared
by the concerned Official.
o Criteria for eligibility of
parent(s) will be adhered to, as stated in Para 1.1.7.
o The Agency will make a suitable reference
from amongst the admitted children legally
free for adoption. If no suitable child is available, the family will be
referred to the ACA.
Stage Ml
o After a Home Study has been accepted and
approved, a child will be shown to the parent(s). The agency will take care to
match a child meeting the description, if any, desired by the parent(s).
o In case of placement of older children
(above the age of 6), both written and verbal consent of the child will be
obtained.
Stage IV
o Once a successful matching has been done, the agency will file a
petition in the Court/JJB for obtaining the
necessary orders under the relevant Act. The above process will normally
be completed in 6-8 weeks.
Adoption Act
The child can be legally placed with the parent(s) under
HAMA/GAWA/JJ-Act 2000. The prospective
parents should be informed about the different Acts available and the
ramifications of each one. It would be left to them to decide as to which Act
they would like to file their petition under, provided that they are eligible
to do so under the chosen Act. As stated above, the prospective parents
must be made to fully understand the status of their adoption under each Act.
Follow up visits
Once an order has been issued, it should be followed by regular
follow-up visits and post adoption counseling by the social worker till the
child is adjusted in the new environment.
The follow up should preferably be for a period of one year at-least or as directed
by the Court/JJB. Copies of the follow-up reports will be sent to the District
Social Welfare Officer/concerned State Government Department, concerned
Scrutiny Agency and the Court/JJB from where the order was obtained.
1.1.6 Adoption Costs
Maintenance charges shall not exceed Rs.
15,000/- at the rate of Rs.50/~ per day from the date of admission to till
the child is placed in pre-placement foster care. In case of special medical care, hospitalization charges
subject to a maximum of Rs.9000/- may be claimed on production of actual
bills. Legal fees and scrutiny fees will be charged on actuals. NGOs and
Government Homes getting Grant-in-aid from the Central Government under Sishu
Greh Scheme can claim maintenance and legal fee from the adoptive parents only as per the provisions laid down in Para
5.4 of the Scheme. The Fee structure for in-country adoptions has
also been drawn up to establish a uniform base for the whole country (The
prescribed fees will however be subject to any direction given in this regard
by the Court issuing the Adoption Order). In addition to the above charges the
agency can claim Rs.200/- as registration charges
in each case from adoptive parents and Rs.1000/- for preparing Home Study Reports.
1.1.7Criteria for
Prospective Adoptive Parents:
a)
Marital Status, Age and
Financial Status with reasonable income to support the child and clear police record
should be evident in the Home Study Report.
b)
Prospective adoptive parents
having composite age of 90 years and less and where neither parent has
crossed 45 years can be considered for adoption of
/
Indian children. These provisions may be suitably relaxed in exceptional
cases for reasons clearly stated in the Home Study Report. However, in no case
should the age of the prospective adoptive parent(s) exceed 55 years. c)ln case
of Special Needs children with medical problems, the age limit of adoptive
parent(s) may be relaxed by concerned State Government.
d)
Single persons who have not crossed the age of 45
years and who fulfill the other criteria can also adopt.
e)
The prospective parent(s) should have a regular source
of income with a minimum average monthly
income of at least Rs. 30007- per month. However, lower income will be
considered taking into account other assets and support system i.e. own house
etc
f) All the criteria mentioned above for adoptive parents will also
apply to single
parents with the additional requirements given below:-
1 .Age: Age of the adoptive single parent should be above 30 years and
below 45 years. 2.Age
Difference: The age difference between the adoptive single parent
and adoptive child should be
21 years. 3.Family: The single parent should have additional family support
system.
1.1.8 Criteria for eligible children:
o The child should be legally
free for adoption.
o Siblings/twins/triplets etc.
should not be separated.
o The consent of children above
6 years should be taken for the adoption.
1.1.9 Procedure for Home Study Reports (HSR)
The LAPA & ACAs may follow
the following procedure for preparing the Home Study Reports:
1.
It should be prepared only after Registration of the
parent(s).
2.
It should be prepared by a qualified Social Worker or
designated Officer of the State Govt, after interviewing both parents
individually and together.
3.
Other members of the family, if they live in a joint
family should also be interviewed.
4.
Parent(s) should be counselled on adoption issues
including open adoption.
5.
All necessary documents, marriage certificate, proof
of income etc. should be checked and annexed to the Report.
1.1.10 Safeguards
The following safeguards should be ensured while
placing the child in In-country Adoption:
a) The child should be legally
free for adoption.
b)
The two months reconsideration
period should be observed for a relinquished child.
c)
All efforts to trace the
biological parent(s) should be made as per the prescribed framework for
abandoned children
d)
Priority should be given to
applicants already registered with the Agency and they should be regularly informed
of the status of their applications.
e)
The Child Study Report along
with PER should be signed by both adoptive parents.
f)
The parent(s) should be advised
to have the child assessed by their own doctor in case of doubts.
g)
A receipt should be issued for the adoption fee.
h) Older children above 6 years - special clearance from State
Government should
be obtained. i) In
case of prospective adoptive parent(s) willing to adopt a child with
disability/health problem, a
document stating the same shall be obtained. j) Placement of girls with a single male is not
allowed as also placement of children
with same sex couples. k)
Siblings and twins etc. should not be separated. Prospective Adoptive Parent(s)
should be made aware of this. I) The
prospective adoptive parent(s) may take the child on pre-adoption foster care
signing a Foster Care
Affidavit only when the case is filed in the Court. m) The prospective adoptive parent(s) should fulfill the laid down
criteria of age,
income etc. n) Above all, the
Agency must satisfy itself that the proposed adoption is in the best
interest of the child.
1.1.11 Court Procedure:
I. The adoption petition along with the
relevant documents should be filed before the concerned Family Court/District
Court/JJB as the case may be by the Adoption Agency.
II. The Court/JJB at its discretion may refer
the petition to Scrutiny Agencies in their respective jurisdiction.
1.1.12 Birth Certificate:
The date of birth of the abandoned child being
given in adoption will be recorded in the order of the Juvenile Justice
Board. In all other cases where the child has not been adopted or its adoption
has not been carried out under the JJ Act and its date of birth has not been
recorded officially anywhere, the Adoption Agency concerned must make an
application to the local Magistrate along with any other material which the
Adoption Agency considers relevant in the form of an affidavit made by a
responsible person belonging to the
Adoption Agency. The local magistrate will then pass an order approving
the particulars to be entered in the birth certificate and on the basis of the
magisterial order, the requisite certificate will be issued by the local birth
certificate issuing authority of the city/town/area where the child has been
found. This process shall be initiated only after the adoption is finalized, so
that the particulars of the
/
adoptive parents are available for inclusion in the certificate. In case
the child has attained the age of three, and the adoption has still not been
finalized, the Agency may obtain a birth certificate, if it is found necessary,
after informing the court in the form of an affidavit:
a)
That to the best of its knowledge the child has
attained the age of three years;
b)
That his/her adoption has not been finalized and is
likely to take some time or may never be finalized in all probability;
c)
That a certificate is required for
educational/medical/legal purposes or any other reasonable purpose which may be
specified.
d)
That person(s) will stand in as local parents to the
child (this person/these persons shall be a responsible person/responsible
persons belonging to the agency) till such time he/she attains majority, or is
adopted, whichever is earlier. In such cases a second birth certificate may be
issued after adoption to provide for a change in the name/names of the child
and the adoptive parent(s) after obtaining an order to that effect from the
court, which had passed order for issuing the original birth certificate.
1.1.13 Records and Documents to be
maintained by the LAPA
Every registered
LAPA will maintain the following records and registers:
I. Admission
register - All details pertaining to the child including its arrival date of
birth, procedure for making the child legally adoptable, pre adoption foster care,
adoption and post placements etc. (Annexure-I)
birth, procedure for making the child legally adoptable, pre adoption foster care,
adoption and post placements etc. (Annexure-I)
II. Attendance register of the children and
staff present.
III.
Register of prospective adoptive
parents with details. The copy of the same will be submitted to ACA and State
Adoption Cell every month.
IV.
Register of children showing
their arrival, departure, admission into hospitals, restoration to their parent(s)
and death, if any.
V.
Medical case file of each child
and individual case files. Wherever possible medical records of the biological
parent(s) will be maintained.
VI.
Registers pertaining to maintenance of the Home.
VII.
Monthly reports in the prescribed format.
(Annexure-ll)
VIII. Follow-up register of children placed with
the adoptive family prior to legal placement and after legal placement.
IX.
The annual report of the organization together with
the necessary details and statistics.
X.
Registers pertaining to vouchers, cashbook, ledger -
expenditure statement, Annual Accounts, payment registers, records of Minutes
of Meetings, Grants Utilization Register and Audited Statement of Accounts.
XI. Documents of promotional activities.
XII. Other records stipulated under
the relevant Law and Licensing Act.
1.1.14 Transfer of Children:
I. For transfers of children from one agency
to another whether within the city, district or inter-district, the prior
permission of the authorized Official of the State Government such as District
Social Welfare Officer/District Magistrate/Adoption Cell of the State
Government is required. This is applicable in case of transfer of children from
branches of the same organisation also. Wherever applicable, the procedure of
transfer will be followed as laid down in JJ Act. 2000.
II. The transfer of the child should be
accompanied by available documents pertaining to its admission, preliminary
case history, documentary evidence to prove that the child is legally free for adoption, and a letter of transfer. In
addition, the photograph of the child, CSR, PER and other relevant
documents should be sent. The accepting
Agency should verify all the facts before accepting the child, as it will be legally
responsible for it, once the child is admitted.
III. In the case of inter-state transfer of
children, the following procedures should be followed:
a)
Children from any orphanage/agency
may be transferred to another State with the permission of the State
Government in whose jurisdiction the child is originally residing.
b)
A child should be legally made free for adoption in
the place of origin.
c)
The child should be registered
with the nearest ACA and State Adoption Cell within 15 days of its arrival
in the new Agency.
d)
If a child cannot be placed in
adoption with a suitable Indian family within 2 years of his or her admission into
the Agency, he or she may be transferred to the nearest Recognised Indian Placement Agency(RIPA) with the prior
permission of the competent authority of the State Government. The State
Government, while examining such requests may take into consideration such
aspects that may be prescribed by CARA from time to time.
1.1.15
F-olfow-up
The follow-up of
children placed within the country will be as follows:
I.
If any pre-adoption foster care is effected, there
will be regular monitoring and evaluation
of the foster care. A professionally trained social worker shall visit the family
regularly. The Adoption Order should be obtained within 6 months of the foster
placement.
II.
The copies of the follow-up
reports of the children shall be submitted by the Agency to concerned State
Government and ACA.
III.
The Agency shall see that legal adoption is effected
at the earliest, thereby safeguarding the interest of the child.
IV.
After legal adoption, the Agency
shall maintain a follow-up with the family for a period of at least one year or
as stipulated by the Court.
V.
Post-adoptive counseling shall
be provided by the agency to the adoptive parent(s) and the adoptee.
CHILD ADOPTION RULES
INTRODUCTION & PROCEDURE
In pursuance of its constitutional mandate, the Government of India has
evolved a National Policy for the Welfare
of Children. The thrust of this policy is summed up in the following
words:
"The Nation's children are a supremely important asset. Their nurture
and solicitude are our responsibility. Children's programme shall find a
prominent part in our national plans for
the development of human resources, so that our children grow up to become
robust citizens, physically fit, mentally alert and morally healthy, endowed with
the skills and motivations needed by society. Equal opportunities for
development to all children during the period of growth should be our aim, for
this would serve our larger purpose of reducing inequality and ensuring social
justice."
Following upon the above mandate, the Govt. of India has evolved several
programmes to ensure the betterment of children and their development in a
wholesome manner. The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of
India has been mandated, amongst others, with the welfare of children in
difficult circumstances. The rehabilitation of such children through adoption
is one of the major planks of the Ministry’s policies for
children. This policy keeps in mind the fact that the full and wholesome growth of a child is possible only in an
atmosphere of parental love and guidance. It recognizes the family as the
Central fulcrum around which both mental and physical development of a child is
given full opportunity to blossom.
In pursuance of land-mark judgement of the Supreme Court of India in the
Laxmi Kant Pandey Vs. Union of India case of 1984, the Central Adoption
Resource Agency (CARA) was established by the Ministry and subsequently the
Revised Guidelines for the Adoption of
Indian children were issued in 1995 to provide a frame work of Rules for
regulating and monitoring inter-country adoptions. These Guidelines are now
applicable all over the country and they provide a uniform mechanism for
processing cases of Inter-country adoptions. Of late the Ministry has been
contemplating the need to provide a similar framework of Guidelines for
monitoring and processing of in-country adoptions. Both the Supreme Court in
its above judgement and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the
Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989 as well as
the Hague Convention on Inter-country adoption of 1993 clearly lay down that
the best interest of the child without a family is served by providing it an
opportunity to be placed with a family within its own socio-cultural milieu.
Thus every child has a right to be considered for placement with a family
belonging to its own national and cultural
background within the country. Inter-country adoption is therefore, to be seen as
an option, which is to be considered only when the above is not possible. This
is also prescribed in the Guidelines governing inter-country adoptions .
The importance of In-country adoption is, self-evident. There is need to
ensure that not only In-country adoption is actively encouraged and propagated
throughout the country, but also a well formulated procedure is followed for
the purpose. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India has
now decided to issue common Guidelines for
the procedure that needs to be undertaken by adoption
Homes/Institutions before filing adoption petitions under
Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA), Juvenile
Justice (Care & Protection of Children)
Act, 2000 (JJ Act) and
also Guardianship
Petitions under Guardian & Wards Act, 1890. These Guidelines do not affect the
provisions in the existing Acts and laws
but serve to provide a procedure for processing adoption cases before they are
actually brought before the competent authorities/courts under the
aforementioned Acts for orders. The Guidelines will also ensure that the best
interests of the child are protected and all adoptions are legally processed
through licensed Homes/Institutions only.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority is the nodal body of the
Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment to deal with all adoption matters. After due consideration of all
aspects and consultations with experts in this field, the Government of India,
hereby issues the Guidelines for In-country Adoption that shall come into
effect immediately and will supercede this
Ministry’s earlier Circular No. 1-4/98 (CARA) Dt.14.09.1998. The Ministry of Social Justice
& Empowerment, Government of India, reserves to itself the power, at its discretion
to make such amendments, additions, deletions
or alternations in these Guidelines as are deemed necessary from time to time.
AIMS
& OBJECTS :
The
Guidelines for In-country adoption aim:
•
to regulate and facilitate a common procedure for In-country adoptions throughout the country;
•
to encourage adoption of destitute & orphan children within the
country.
1.1
ADOPTION HOMES
1.1.1 Role & Functions of LAP As
i. All such Licensed Adoption
Placement Agencies for In-country adoptions will
be registered under the Societies Registration
Act, 1860. They will adhere to any guideline or rule laid down by the State
Government/Central Government governing in-country adoption from time to time.
As such they will obtain license from the
State Government to run child care homes and recognition/permission to place
children in adoption within the country and will be known as Licensed Adoption
Placement Agencies (LAPAs). Adoption Homes which have been recognised to also
undertake inter-country adoption by the Govt.of India will be called Recognised
Indian Placement Agencies (RIPAs)
ii. Details
of all Children admitted by LAPAs will be entered in the admission
register in the format prescribed at
Annexure-I.
iii. All LAPAs will be members of the
nearest Adoption Coordinating Agency.
iv. They
will maintain a separate list of Indian couples/individuals registered with
them as prospective adoptive parent(s).
v. All the LAPAs must have a high
standard of child care facilities and observe
prescribed & adequate standards in child
care as per the broad criteria placed at Annexure-IV. For children,
between 3 and 6 years proper recreational and preschool educational facilities
must be provided.
vi. It will be mandatory
for all the LAPAs to have qualified staff. The following
staff should be available in a home for 10
children:
1. Superintendent 1
2. Nurse-cum-supervisor
1
3. Full time or part
time Doctor preferably Paediatrician 1
4. Social Worker 1
5. Ayas (for 10
children) 4
6. Accounts and
Administrative staff 1
7. Chowkidar 1
The above is the recommended staff structure
and it may vary in proportion to the number of children and size of the Home. The
professional staff such as Nurses and Social Workers should have the relevant
qualifications such as Degree/Diploma in Nursing and MSW/BSW respectively.
vii. Every
LAPA has a moral and legal responsibility to function within the ambit of
the law and in the best interest of the child. While
admitting an orphan or destitute
child, the Home will give a name to the child, record briefly the social
background
of the child, record identification marks of the child, record height and
weight of the
child, conduct medical examination of the child and get the child photographed.
In
case of all new arrivals, the local authority should be informed within 24
hours and
in case of admission of any abandoned child, the Home will file FIR with the
nearest Police Station and inform the local authority and the CWC within 24
hours.
viii. A
monthly report on the number of children available will be submitted to the
State Adoption Cell of the State Govt. The
death of any child will also be reported
to the local authority, ACA & State Adoption Cell immediately, giving
details, within
48 hours. The Death Certificate alongwith the photograph, shall be kept in the
personal record file counter signed by the Office bearer of the LAPA. Every
LAPA
shall maintain a separate file for each child with the child's complete case
history.
Every child should have a Child Study Report which shall be shown to the
prospective adoptive parents. Format of such a report is placed at Annexure-V.
ix. All
registered prospective adoptive parent(s) may avail counseling facilities
which is to be given free by the LAPA. They
should be counselled in detail and
made aware of the legal obligation to be placed upon them once a child has been
adopted, the rights of the child itself, the various Acts under which a child
can be
placed with the family, procedures for obtaining birth certificate etc.
x. The
LAPAs will submit a list of children available with them with relevant
information every month to the ACA and State
Adoption Cell to facilitate search for
suitable adoptive parent(s) who may be registered with them.
xi. While
filing an application for adoption or placement of a child in the
appropriate Court, the LAPA will also be a co-respondent. The child will
be in the custody of the LAPA until the
final placement takes place through the Court order. Therefore,
parent(s) cannot directly file a petition and the details of the biological
unwed mother cannot be disclosed to the parent(s) as a part of the petition. If
violation of these provisions come to notice,
action will be taken against the LAPA by the State Government. The
surrender document should be treated as confidential
and submitted only to the court. The LAPA must ensure that adoption petitions
are filed in the court expeditiously and render all cooperation to the court for
obtaining early orders.
xii. The LAPA will send a monthly report
to the ACA and the State Adoption Cell
as per Annexure II.
1.1.2 Mode of Admission of children of LAPA
A child can be
admitted to the LAPA by two modes:
I.
Direct surrender by biological parent(s)/unwed mother II. Child abandoned in the LAPA or abandoned
elsewhere brought by a third party or police or referred by the Child Welfare
Committee.
1.1.3 Surrender of a Child by biological parents (s)
I. In the case of surrender of a child, the
biological parent(s) should be
counselled and duly informed by the LAPA concerned of the effect of
their decision and the alternatives
available for the care and maintenance of the child. No LAPA will
directly or through agents, attempt to persuade the biological parent(s) to
surrender their children with monetary or other incentives.
II. The surrender document should be executed
truly by the biological parent(s)
with no compulsion,
payment or compensation of any kind by anyone.
III.
The parent(s) should be informed by the LAPA of their
right to reclaim the child within 60 days from the date of the surrender. They
should be made aware that after the period
of 60 days the surrender documents will become irrevocable and the child
will be considered free for adoption and the LAPA will be free to place the
child in adoption or guardianship.
IV.
The surrender document should be
executed on stamp paper in the presence of two responsible witnesses of whom
one should be responsible person who is not an employee of the organization. The
documents will also be signed by a Notary/Oath Commissioner. The LAPA should be
able to produce these witnesses if the necessity arises. The responsibility for
the authenticity of the surrender document
would be on the LAPA. In case of a minor surrendering a child, at least
one signature(s) of parent(s)/relative(s) of the minor should be obtained in
the presence of the minor. The State Govt. will have the right to cross check all surrender documents and copies of
these are to be sent to the Adoption Cell/Department. During the
surrender process, the LAPA should ensure that:
a. if
a child born in wedlock is surrendered, both parents sign the surrender
document
and in case a parent(s) is dead, proof of death is furnished. Where the
death
certificate is not available, a certificate from local Sarpanch/Panchayat/Govt.
Authority should suffice.
b. In case of a child born out of
wedlock, the mother herself and none else can
surrender the child. If she is a minor, the
signature of an accompanying relative will
be obtained on the surrender document.
c. If the surrender is effected by
any person other than the biological parent(s), the
same procedure is followed as that for an
abandoned child under the JJ Act 2000,
since the child will be treated as abandoned.
d. When a child is born to a married
couple but is surrendered by one biological
parent and the whereabouts of the other are
not known the same procedure is
followed as that for an abandoned child.
e. If
the document of surrender is considered invalid/incomplete by the State Govt.
it
may direct the concerned Agency to follow the same procedure as under
the JJ
Act-2000. Any such direction should however be communicated to the Agency
within 15 days of receiving the copy of the surrender documents.
1.1.4 Abandoned
Child
vi. The procedure regarding abandoned children
is prescribed by the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act-2000.
While the CWC (Child Welfare Committee) is the final authority to dispose of
cases for the care, protection, treatment,
development and rehabilitation of the children (Section 31.1 of the said Act),
a child can be produced before the Committee by the following persons (Section
32.1 of the said Act):
a) any police officer
or special juvenile police unit or a designated police officer;
b) any public servant;
c) Childline, a
registered voluntary organisation or by such other voluntary organisation or an agency as may be recognised by
the State Government;
d) any social worker or a public spirited citizen authorised by the State Government; or
e) by the child
itself.
vii.
Wherever a LAPA receives an abandoned child under its care it will
immediately file a First Information Report in the concerned Police Station and make an
application to CWC within 24 hours seeking permission to keep custody of the
child. viii. The LAPA may initiate the process of
clearance from CWC (Child Welfare
Committee) at the earliest, in the case of abandoned children and the
Child Welfare Committee will make all possible efforts within a period of two
months to declare the child legally free for adoption. ix. In the case of abandoned
children the procedure for declaring such children as legally free for
adoption as laid down under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2000 shall apply. An abandoned child can be given in adoption
only when the Child Welfare Committee under the Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000, declares such a child to be legally free for
adoption. An abandoned child will be legally free for adoption when such an
order is signed by at least two members of the Child Welfare Committee as per Sec.
41(5)(a) of the JJ Act. 2000. On receipt of a report under section 32, the
Committee or any police officer or special juvenile police unit or the
designated police officer shall hold an inquiry in the prescribed manner and
the Committee, on its own or on the report from any person or agency as
mentioned in sub-section (1) of section 32 of JJ Act-2000, may pass an order to
send the child to the children’s home for
speedy inquiry by a social worker or child welfare officer. The inquiry under
this section will be completed within such shorter period as may be fixed by
the Committee. x. Where there is no CWC functioning, the
District Collector or any other authority
empowered by the State Government for the
purpose may issue the Certificate of Abandonment.
1.1.5 Procedure For Incountry
Adoption: Stage I
o Prospective adoptive parent(s) should register
themselves with the local
RIPA/LAPA or Adoption Coordinating Agency or with the State Adoption
Cell.
Stage II
o A home study report of the prospective adoptive
parents will be prepared by the social worker of the Agency. To allay the fears
and apprehensions of the prospective adoptive parent(s), pre-adoptive
counseling sessions will be undertaken by the social worker during the
preparation of the home study report. Assessing the ability of a couple to
parent a child not born to them is of crucial importance in a successful
adoption. Therefore, their suitability to care for an unrelated child is
assessed through this home study and counselling. Documents relating to the
financial and health status of the prospective parent(s) will be part of the
Home Study Report.
o In case of
Inter-State adoption applications by parent(s), they will be
accompanied by Home Study prepared by a
qualified social worker working in a RIPA/LAPA. Where State Govt.’s have officially delegated such work for its
Officials, the Home Study Report could be prepared by the concerned Official.
o Criteria for
eligibility of parent(s) will be adhered to, as stated in Para 1.1.7.
o The Agency will make a suitable reference from amongst
the admitted children legally free for adoption. If no suitable child is
available, the family will be referred to the ACA.
Stage III
o After a Home Study has been accepted and approved, a
child will be shown to the parent(s). The agency will take care to match a
child meeting the description, if any, desired by the parent(s).
o In case of placement of older children (above the age
of 6), both written and verbal consent of the child will be obtained.
Stage IV
o Once a successful matching has been done, the agency will file a
petition in the Court/JJB for obtaining the
necessary orders under the relevant Act. The above process will normally
be completed in 6-8 weeks.
Adoption Act
The child can be legally placed with the parent(s)
under HAMA/GAWA/JJ-Act 2000. The prospective parents should be informed about the
different Acts available and the ramifications of each one. It would be left to
them to decide as to which Act they would like to file their petition under,
provided that they are eligible to do so under the chosen Act. As stated above,
the prospective parents must be made to fully understand the status of their
adoption under each Act.
Follow up visits
Once an order has been issued, it should be followed by regular
follow-up visits and post adoption counseling by the social worker till the
child is adjusted in the new environment. The follow up should preferably be
for a period of one year at-least or as
directed by the Court/JJB. Copies of the follow-up reports will be sent to the
District Social Welfare Officer/concerned State Government Department, concerned Scrutiny Agency and the Court/JJB from
where the order was obtained.
1.1.6 Adoption Costs
Maintenance charges shall not exceed Rs.15,000/- at the rate of Rs.50/-
per day from the date of admission to till
the child is placed in pre-placement foster care. In case of special
medical care, hospitalization charges subject to a maximum of Rs.9000/- may be
claimed on production of actual bills. Legal fees and scrutiny fees will be
charged on actuals. NGOs and Government Homes getting Grant-in-aid from the
Central Government under Sishu Greh Scheme can claim maintenance and legal fee
from the adoptive parents only as per the provisions laid down in Para 5.4 of
the Scheme. The Fee structure for in-country adoptions has also been drawn
up to establish a uniform base for the whole country (The prescribed fees will
however be subject to any direction given in this regard by the Court issuing
the Adoption Order). In addition to the above charges the agency can claim
Rs.200/- as registration charges in each case from adoptive parents and
Rs.1000/- for preparing Home Study Reports.
1.1.7 Criteria for Prospective Adoptive Parents:
a)
Marital Status, Age and
Financial Status with reasonable income to support the child and clear police
record should be evident in the Home Study Report.
b)
Prospective adoptive parents having composite age of
90 years and less and where neither parent has crossed 45 years can be
considered for adoption of Indian children. These provisions may be suitably
relaxed in exceptional cases for reasons clearly stated in the Home Study
Report. However, in no case should the age
of the prospective adoptive parent(s) exceed 55 years.
c) In case of Special Needs children with
medical problems, the age limit of
adoptive parent(s) may be relaxed by concerned State Government.
d)
Single persons who have not
crossed the age of 45 years and who fulfill the other criteria can also adopt.
e)
The prospective parent(s) should have a regular source
of income with a minimum average monthly income of at least Rs.3000/- per
month. However, lower income will be
considered taking into account other assets and support system i.e. own
house etc
f) All the
criteria mentioned above for adoptive parents will also apply to single
parents with the additional
requirements given below:-1. Age: Age of the
adoptive single parent should be above 30 years and below 45 years.
2. Age
Difference: The age difference between the adoptive single parent
and adoptive child should be 21 years.
3. Family: The single parent should have
additional family support
system.
1.1.8
Criteria for eligible children:
o The child should be legally free for adoption.
o Siblings/twins/ triplets etc. should not be separated.
o The consent of children above 6 years should be taken for the adoption.
1.1.9 Procedure for Home Study Reports (HSR)
The LAPA & ACAs may follow
the following procedure for preparing the Home Study Reports:
1.
It should be prepared only after Registration of the
parent(s).
2.
It should be prepared by a
qualified Social Worker or designated Officer of the State Govt. after interviewing
both parents individually and together.
3.
Other members of the family, if
they live in a joint family should also be interviewed.
4.
Parent(s) should be counselled on adoption issues
including open adoption.
5.
All necessary documents,
marriage certificate, proof of income etc. should be checked and annexed to the
Report.
1.1.10 Safeguards
The following safeguards should
be ensured while placing the child in In-country Adoption:
a)
The child should be legally free for adoption.
b)
The two months reconsideration
period should be observed for a relinquished child.
c)
All efforts to trace the
biological parent(s) should be made as per the prescribed framework for
abandoned children
d)
Priority should be given to
applicants already registered with the Agency and they should be regularly
informed of the status of their applications.
e)
The Child Study Report along
with PER should be signed by both adoptive parents.
f)
The parent(s) should be advised
to have the child assessed by their own doctor in case of doubts.
g) A
receipt should be issued for the adoption fee.
h)
Older children above 6 years – special clearance from State
Government
should be obtained. i) In
case of prospective adoptive parent(s) willing to adopt a child with
disability/health
problem, a document stating the same shall be obtained. j) Placement of girls with a single male is
not allowed as also placement of
children with same sex
couples. k) Siblings and twins etc. should not be
separated. Prospective Adoptive Parent(s)
should be made aware of this. l) The
prospective adoptive parent(s) may take the child on pre-adoption foster
care signing a Foster Care
Affidavit only when the case is filed in the Court. m) The prospective adoptive parent(s) should fulfill the laid down
criteria of age,
income etc.
n) Above all, the Agency must satisfy itself
that the proposed adoption is in the best interest of the child.
1.1.11 Court Procedure:
I. The adoption petition along with the
relevant documents should be filed before
the concerned Family Court/District Court/JJB
as the case may be by the
Adoption Agency.
II. The Court/JJB at its discretion may refer the
petition to Scrutiny Agencies in
their respective jurisdiction.
1.1.12 Birth Certificate:
The date of birth of the abandoned child being
given in adoption will be recorded in the order of the Juvenile Justice Board. In all
other cases where the child has not been
adopted or its adoption has not been carried out under the JJ Act and its date
of birth has not been recorded officially anywhere, the Adoption Agency
concerned must make an application to the local Magistrate along with
any other material which the Adoption
Agency considers relevant in the form of an affidavit made by a responsible
person belonging to the Adoption Agency. The local magistrate will then pass an
order approving the particulars to be entered in the birth certificate and on
the basis of the magisterial order, the requisite certificate will be issued by
the local birth certificate issuing authority of the city/town/area where the
child has been found. This process shall be initiated only after the adoption
is finalized, so that the particulars of the adoptive parents are available for
inclusion in the certificate. In case the
child has attained the age of three, and the adoption has still not been
finalized, the Agency may obtain a birth certificate, if it is found necessary,
after informing the court in the form of an affidavit:
a)
That to the best of its knowledge the child has
attained the age of three years;
b)
That his/her adoption has not
been finalized and is likely to take some time or may never be finalized in all
probability;
c)
That a certificate is required
for educational/medical/legal purposes or any other reasonable purpose which may
be specified.
d)
That person(s) will stand in as local parents to the
child (this person/these persons shall be a responsible person/responsible
persons belonging to the agency) till such
time he/she attains majority, or is adopted, whichever is earlier. In
such cases a second birth certificate may be issued after adoption to provide
for a change in the name/names of the child and the adoptive parent(s) after
obtaining an order to that effect from the court, which had passed order for
issuing the original birth certificate.
1.1.13 Records and
Documents to be maintained by the LAPA
Every registered
LAPA will maintain the following records and registers:
I. Admission
register – All details pertaining to the child including its arrival date of
birth, procedure for making the child legally
adoptable, pre adoption foster care,
adoption and post placements etc. (Annexure-I)
II. Attendance register of the
children and staff present.
III.
Register of prospective adoptive
parents with details. The copy of the same will be submitted to ACA and State
Adoption Cell every month.
IV.
Register of children showing
their arrival, departure, admission into hospitals, restoration to their parent(s)
and death, if any.
V. Medical case file of each child and
individual case files. Wherever possible
medical records of the biological parent(s) will be maintained.
VI. Registers pertaining to maintenance of the
Home.
VII. Monthly reports in the prescribed format.
(Annexure–II)
VIII. Follow-up
register of children placed with the adoptive family prior to legal
placement and after
legal placement.
IX. The annual report of the organization together
with the necessary details and
statistics.
X. Registers pertaining to vouchers, cashbook,
ledger – expenditure statement,
Annual Accounts, payment registers, records of
Minutes of Meetings, Grants
Utilization Register and Audited Statement of Accounts.
XI. Documents of promotional activities.
XII. Other records stipulated under the relevant
Law and Licensing Act.
1.1.14 Transfer of Children:
I. For transfers of children from one agency
to another whether within the city,
district or inter-district, the prior
permission of the authorized Official of the State
Government such as District Social Welfare Officer/District Magistrate/Adoption
Cell of the State Government is required. This is applicable in case of
transfer
of children from branches of the same organisation also. Wherever applicable,
the procedure of transfer will be followed as laid down in JJ Act. 2000.
II. The
transfer of the child should be accompanied by available documents
pertaining to its admission, preliminary case
history, documentary evidence to
prove that the child is legally free for adoption, and a letter of transfer. In
addition, the photograph of the child, CSR, PER and other relevant documents
should be sent. The accepting Agency should verify all the facts before
accepting the child, as it will be legally responsible for it, once the child
is
admitted.
III. In the case of inter-state transfer of children,
the following procedures should be
followed:
a)
Children from any
orphanage/agency may be transferred to another State with the permission of
the State Government in whose jurisdiction the child is originally residing.
b)
A child should be legally made free for adoption in
the place of origin.
c)
The child should be registered
with the nearest ACA and State Adoption Cell within 15 days of its arrival
in the new Agency.
d)
If a child cannot be placed in adoption with a
suitable Indian family within 2 years of
his or her admission into the Agency, he or she may be transferred to the
nearest Recognised Indian Placement Agency(RIPA) with the prior permission of
the competent authority of the State Government. The State Government, while examining such requests may
take into consideration such aspects that may be prescribed by CARA from
time to time.
1.1.15 Follow-up
The follow-up of
children placed within the country will be as follows:
I. If any pre-adoption foster care is
effected, there will be regular monitoring and
evaluation of the foster care. A professionally
trained social worker shall visit
the family regularly. The Adoption Order should be obtained within 6 months of
the foster placement.
II. The
copies of the follow-up reports of the children shall be submitted by the
Agency to concerned State Government and ACA.
III.
The Agency shall see that legal
adoption is effected at the earliest, thereby safeguarding the interest of
the child.
IV.
After legal adoption, the Agency
shall maintain a follow-up with the family for a period of at least one year or
as stipulated by the Court.
V. Post-adoptive counseling shall be provided
by the agency to the adoptive
parent(s) and the adoptee.
Sources @ http://socialwelfare.bih.nic.in/Docs/Child-Adoption-Guidelines-and-Rules.pdf
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