On a recent news on adoption, the Ministry of Women and Child Development had notified the revised ‘Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children 2015’ which have come into force with effect from August, 1, 2015. The Guidelines, formulated after almost a year-long stakeholders’ consultation process are aimed at streamlining and speeding up the adoption process. The revised guidelines coupled with the new IT enabled adoption system – CARINGS, provide a transparent process of adoption under which all the child care institutions of the country have been brought into an integrated system.
During the consultation process, a large number of organizations/individuals had given feedback based on which this system has been designed with the underlying objective that a child with a child care institution must find a home as quickly as possible. Section 41(2) of the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 provides for a legal obligation on all child care institutions to promote and undertake adoptions as per the guidelines laid down by the Central Government. In case a child care institution is not able to work as per the guidelines, it has option to transfer the children to other child care institutions which are working under the Central Government guidelines.
While releasing the new guidelines and launching CARINGS, the Ministry has also simultaneously started country-wide workshops to enable child care institutions understand the new guidelines and work under the new IT environment. It is clarified that the earlier guidelines of 2011 also provided that single parents can adopt a child and these provisions have been retained in the 2015 guidelines.
The Ministry recognizes the good work done by organizations like Missionaries of Charity, however, it is reiterated that the new guidelines, prepared after an elaborate consultation process, have to be followed by all child care institutions involved in the process of adoption.
IndianBureaucracy.com hopes and prays that proper guidelines are followed and a child does not suffer do to legal angles.