Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children 2015: Highlights

Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children 2015: Highlights

Question: Ministry of Women and Child Development has notified revised Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children recently. Provide the key highlights of these guidelines.

- Ministry of Women and Child Development has notified revised Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children 2015 recently

- The 2015 guidelines issued by the Central Adoption Resource Authority would replace the adoption guidelines of 2011

- Revised guidelines have been framed keeping issues in mind placed by CARA, adoption agencies and Prospective Adoptive Parents/PAPs

Highlights

- Clear and transparent procedure for registering resident Indians and provision for uploading required documents online

- PAPs have the choice of selecting an adoption agency for conducting Home Study Report and preferred State also

- Home study report of PAPs can be created only by SARA(State Adoption Resource Agency)/DCPU(District Child Protection Units) empanelled social workers

- Seniority of PAPs will be maintained from the date of registration

- Combined age for married couples has been increased from 105 to 110 years for encouraging adoption of older children

- There should be at least 25 year age gap between the child and the adoptive parents

- Clarity is needed in adoption of special needs children, siblings, older children

- Older children and siblings are no more considered as special needs children

- Specialised adoption agencies will be authorised for within the country adoption

- Inter-state adoptions have made it possible to boost adoptions within the nation

- No permission of State Adoption Resource Agency is needed for domestic adoption from another state

- NRIs are treated on par with resident Indians with respect to the adoption

- Greater clarity has been provided in process and documentation for foreign PAPs and OCI staying in India

- Adoption expenses for varying categories of PAPs is identified

- Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency would be renewed following a period of 5 years

- All adoptions in country or inter country have to proceed on Central Adoption Resource Information Guidance System/CARINGS

- Adoption outside CARINGS is not allowed

Facts and Stats

- These guidelines provide for more effective regulation for adoption of surrendered, abandoned and orphaned children

- It will create more transparency and efficiency in the adoption system

- PAPs can track the status of application and make the entire system user friendly

- CARINGS is an e-governance measure for facilitating adoption of children

- It will contain a centralised data bank of children who can be adopted as well as PAPs