New Guidelines for CARA's Adoption Process
Reforms
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has issued
three directives to States and UTs to strengthen adoption procedures, safeguard
records, and protect children’s identity.The office memorandums have been
issued to all State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARAs) in accordance with the
provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
(as amended in 2021) and the Adoption Regulations, 2022.Objective: To
strengthen transparency, accountability, and child protection within the
adoption ecosystem, while safeguarding the rights, dignity, and privacy of
children and adoptees across the country.
New Directives of the CARA
¨
First Office Memorandum:
Stresses on strict adherence to legal procedures and timelines before declaring
a child free for adoption.No orphan or abandoned child can be declared legally
free without proper inquiry, tracing of biological parents, restoration
efforts, and completion of all statutory steps.For surrendered children, a
mandatory 2-month reconsideration period must be followed before adoption.
¨ Second Office Memorandum:
It clarifies the policy regarding the safekeeping, maintenance, and transfer of
records of children and adoptees.It addresses the challenges faced by adult
adoptees in accessing information about their origins through the root search
process under the Adoption Regulations, 2022.States and UTs will ensure the
secure preservation and transfer of all physical and digital records to the
designated authority for long-term safekeeping of records to facilitate root
search by adoptees in the future.
¨
Third Office Memorandum:
States and UTs are directed to ensure strict compliance with Section 74 of the
Juvenile Justice Act, which bars disclosure of the identity of children in
conflict with law or in need of care and protection.No photographs, videos, or
identifying particulars of children residing in the Specialised Adoption
Agencies (SAAs) or Child Care Institutions (CCIs) will be disclosed.
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
¨
It is a statutory body
(Section 68 of the JJ Act made the CARA a statutory body) under the Ministry of
Women & Child Development, Government of India.
¨ It is the Nodal body for
the adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate
in-country and inter-country adoptions.
¨ It is the Central Body in
India which follows the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993,
ratified by the Government of India in 2003 for inter-country adoptions.
¨ It primarily deals with the adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.
¨ Headquarters: New Delhi.
