how to adopt a child

How to Adopt a Child And Its Process in India

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how to adopt a child, wherein the child is legally adopted by his adoptive parents. They enjoys all rights, privileges and obligations which are associated with an biological child.

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) created the Adoption Regulations in 2022, as required by the section 68(c) in the Juvenile justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of (Amended in 021) (Amended with 021) that was in operation as of September 23rd 2022.

Fundamental Principles—Governing Adoption

The following basic principles will guide adoptions of children coming from India The following principles shall govern adoptions of children from India:

  • the best interests of the child should be considered the most important consideration in the process of deciding on an adoption placement
  • Priority will be given to placing the child in an adoption arrangement with Indian citizens, and taking into consideration the concept of placing the child within his cultural and social environment, as much as it is feasible.
  • all adoptions should be recorded on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System and the confidentiality of that system is kept at the discretion of the Authority.

Adoption Process in India – Stakeholders

  1. Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA): Assures the smooth operation of the process of adoption. It issues adoption Guidelines that outline the procedures to be followed by the various participants in the adoption program.

  2. State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA): It acts as a nodal agency within the State to encourage and supervise adoption. Non-institutional treatment in collaboration in conjunction with Central Adoption Resource Authority.

  3. Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA): The Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) is recognised as a legitimate agency by the State Government under sub-section 4 of section 41 of the Act to be able to assist in placing children into adoption.

  4. Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA)Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA) Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency is recognized as a children’s or social welfare institution that is authorized by Central Adoption Resource Authority on the recommendation of the Central Authority or Government Department of the country to coordinate all issues related to adopting one’s Indian kid by citizen of the country.

  5. District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) (DCPU) District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) is a term used to describe a unit that has been set by the State Government at district level under Section 61A of the Act. It is a place to find abandoned, orphaned and surrendered children within the district, and then gets their legal status declared as adoptable by the Child Welfare Committee.

Who is Able to Adopt a Child?

The parents who are to be adopted must be physically, mentally, financially, and emotionally stable. That do not suffer from any medical condition that could cause death. Also, they are not convicted of a crime of any kind or of any child rights violations.

Any prospective adoptive parent regardless of relationship status, and regardless of whether they are biological children or daughters, may adopt children subject to the following conditions, which is

  • A single female can adopt an infant of any gender.
  • A single male is not be able to adopt of a female;
  • the consent of both spouses to adopt be required in the event of a married couple

The child is not allowed to be given an adoption by an unmarried couple that does not have at least two years of a stable marriage, excluding instances of step-parent or relative adoption.

The age of potential adoptive parents at when they register should be taken into consideration when determining their eligibility and ability of prospective adoptive parents to apply for children in different ages shall be determined as per

Couples who are married have the same age:

  • The combined maximum age for children aged 0 to 2 is 85.
  • The combined maximum age for children aged 2-4 is 90 years.
  • The combined maximum age for children aged 4-8 is 100 years.
  • The combined age of children aged 8+ is 110 years.

Single women:

  • The age limit for children 0-2 years is 40 years.
  • The age limit for children aged 2-4 is 45 years old.
  • The age limit for children aged 4-8 is 50 years old.
  • The age limit for children aged 8plus is 55 years old.

The age of adoptive parents on the date of registration with CARINGS will be considered when determining which age group for the child you are applying for. CARA considers the number of years, months and days. Every time CARA requires an application to be renewed (usually three years) the total age will increase, which could raise that of your adopted child. that you are legally able to adopt.

Couples who have more than two children will only be considered in the case of children with special needs. The age gap between the child’s age and one of the PAPS must not be less than 25 years old.

Couples that have more than three children will not be considered as adoptable, except in the instances of special needs children as defined in regulation (21) (2) of the regulation, difficult to place children in accordance with regulation 50. This also applies in the event of adoption by relative or by a stepparent.

How to Adopt a Child?

One can adopt a child only through submission of online application available at https://cara.wcd.gov.in/ and following the procedures provided in the Adoption Regulations, 2022. For further details please visit the website https://cara.wcd.gov.in/

Parents who live within India and are Resident Indians must sign up on CARA’s website.

Foreigners and OCIs who reside in India need an NGO from their Embassy or High Commission prior to registration.

Non-residents of the United States, OCIs as well as foreigners who live outside of the country must adhere to a separate protocol and register with AFAA/CA/IDM.

It is now required to sign up on CARINGS online to adopt the child of. If you’re not sure with the process or are unable to register online, you can contact to the district child Protection Officer (DCPO) of your district.

Adoption Process in India

In-country

  1. Parents register online on CARINGS (https://cara.wcd.gov.in/)
  2. Choose your your preferred Adoption Agency for HSR (Home Study Report) and State
  3. Created User ID, Password and user name.
  4. Upload your documents within 30 days after the date of registration.
  5. Registration number generated
  6. Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) is the agency that conducts Home Study Report (HSR ) of the PAPs. And also uploads it to CARINGS within 30 days of the date of submission of the necessary documents to CARINGS.
  7. Suitability of prospective adoptive Parent (PAP)s is assessed (if they are not deemed acceptable, the PAPs are informed of the reasons why they were rejected)
  8. PAPs are able to reserve one child in accordance with their preferences, from up to six children
  9. PAPs are required to visit the adoption agency within 15 days of the day of their reservation, and decide on the finalization
  10. If the child’s name is not completed within the stipulated timeframe If the child is not finalized within the stipulated time, PAPs are removed from the seniority list.
  11. When the child is accepted through PAPs, the PAPs, SAA completes the referral and adoption procedure (on the CARINGS)
  12. PAPs put the child into foster care prior to adoption and SAA is able to file a petition with the court
  13. Adoption Court order issued
  14. A post-adoption report on follow-up is done for two years.

Parents In-country – Instructions for Online Parent Registration for Adoption

  • This registration is intended to Indian citizens who reside in India
  • Please provide your current residence address and number. including area code
  • Your spouse or you must have a permanent Account Number (PAN) card. Additionally, you must upload your PAN card to a Portable Document Format (.pdf) The size of the file cannot exceed 512 KB.
  • You must submit the photo of you (single parent) or your family photo (couple) to .jpg file format (3.5 cm x 4.5 millimeters). The size should not exceed 1 megabyte.
  • You need to have an email address and mobile number
  • Once you have registered successfully after successful registration. You will be sent an acknowledgement email online that will contain your registration information as well as the details of your credential
  • If you have lost the acknowledgement email you received online you can get it renewed by using the Forgot Password button that can be found on the The Track Status page

 

Make sure the following documents:

    • Photo of the person/s who adopt an infant (Post Card Size)
    • Birth Certificate
    • Proof of Residence (Adhaar Card/Voter Card/ Driving License/ Passport/ Current Electricity Bill/ Telephone Bill
    • Last year’s proof of income year (Salary Slipor income certificate issued by the Govt. Department/ Income Tax Return)
    • If you’re married, please upload your Marriage Certificate
    • If you are divorcing Please upload a copy of your Divorce Decree
    • If you die along with your spouse, you are required to attach the Death Certificate of your spouse
    • A medical professional’s certificate affirming that the PAPs aren’t suffering from any contagious or fatal disease. That they are able to take on.
    • In the event of incorrect or incomplete data, your application is likely to be deemed inadmissible
    • Following registration, you must get in touch with the agency that you adopted from.
    • Original documents must to be authenticated
    • The eligibility of you for adoption is determined by the agency for adoption.

From In-country to Inter-country

Children would be moved automatically from country-specific adoption to adoption in other countries using CARINGS according to a timetable in the following manner :

  • within 60 days in the event that the child is younger than 5 years old;
  • within 30 days if the child is older than five years old or has a sibling
  • after 15 days, in the event that the child suffers from an physical or intellectual disability .

Do’s 

  • Only adopt through Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) recognized by the State Governments. 
  • Follow the steps to complete your registration.
  • Take a look at the guidelines on the site and follow the proper procedure.
  • Please upload your documents in accordance with the instructions. 
  • To find out the costs associated with adoption Please refer to Schedule 13 of the Guidelines that govern Adoption of Children (2015). Always pay with a draft or cheque and then collect your receipt.

Don’ts

  • Avoid approaching any hospital, nursing home or maternity home that is not a licensed institution or person to adopt.
  • Make sure you upload the correct documents, or else your registration will be terminated.
  • Don’t pay any additional adoption costs that are not included in the CARA Guidelines.
  • Beware of middlemen or touts. There is nothing to do with middlemen or touts in the adoption process. They could deceive you into adopt a child in a way that is illegal.
  • By committing an illegal adoption you could accidentally become a part of the child trafficking networks. Beware of legal consequences.

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