Priya and Sharan have a 4 year old daughter. To complete their family they want one more child. The only difference is they would like to adopt a baby boy.
Nikita and Ayush are successful professionals in the early 40’s. The one big vaccum in their life is their inability to conceive a child. They are now thinking of adopting a child.
Deepak is a single man. He has no plans of getting married but is keen to adopt a child.
Adoption is the legal process which allows an individual to take become the parent of a child who is not related to him/her by blood. The adoptive parents assume the role of parents and are required to fulfil all responsibilities towards the child.
The Central Adoption Resources Authority, CARA a statutory body of the Ministry of Woman and Child Development, Government of India monitors all adoptions in India. CARA serves as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and monitors as well as regulates in-country and inter-country adoptions.
The eligibility criteria for adoption is available at http://cara.nic.in/Parents/eg_ri.html
The procedure for adoption can be viewed at http://cara.nic.in/Parents/Guideline_RI.html. This is a 9 step process:
- Registration: People keen to adopt need to register with a Recognised Indian Placement Agencies (RIPA) and Special Adoption Agency (SPA) . State wise listing of these agencies with contact details is available at http://cara.nic.in/Stakeholders/India_map.html
- HomeStudy: Within 3 months of registration, a social worker of the registration agency will visit the prospective parent/s to make a home study. Prospective parent/s may also be asked to attend a counselling session. The report of the home study and counselling session is then submitted to the court. The home study will be valid for 3 years.
- Referral of Child: Whenever there is a child available for adoption, the placement agency shall inform the prospective parents and also send them all relevant details including medical records. If the prospective parent/s are comfortable with the details shared, they can choose to meet the child.
- Acceptance of Child: If the prospective parent/s are comfortable with the child, the can sign certain documents stating the acceptance of the child.
- Filing of Petition: Once the documentation is complete, a lawyer prepares a petition to the court, and the petition has to be signed by the prospective parent/s in the presence of the court officer.
- Pre-adoption foster care: Prospective parent/s then take the child for pre-adoption foster care to understand the habits of the child before they take the child home.
- Court Session: Within 2 months of filing of adoption application, the court holds a in camera session where the adoptive parent/s must appear with the child.
- Procurement of Adoption Order: Finally the Recognised Indian Placement Agencies (RIPA) or Special Adoption Agency (SPA) gets the certified copy of the adoption order from the court and sends it to the parent/s
- Post Adoption Follow Up: The RIPA or SPA which conducted the home study conducts follow up visits every six months to ensure the well being of the child. This is done for up to 2 years after adoption.
If you want to adopt a child, take the first step. Reach out to the nearest agency
http://cara.nic.in/Stakeholders/India_map.html
Wishing you all success in your journey.