Kochi : The Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) has informed the high court that it would examine measures to address gaps in safeguards under the existing child adoption mechanism, including restricting multiple replacements of a child and establishing an annulment review board or an adoption ombudsman.
Cara deputy director Richa Ojha made the submissions in response to a report filed by the victim rights centre (VRC) of the Kerala Legal Services Authority (KeLSA), suggesting amendments to the Adoption Regulations, 2022, with a focus on strengthening safeguards for children during and after adoption. In a counter affidavit filed by Ojha on behalf of Cara, it was stated that several recommendations made by the VRC were already addressed, fully or substantially, under the existing statutory framework of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. However, certain suggestions, including restricting multiple placements of a child and establishing an annulment review board or an adoption ombudsman, would be examined as part of the ongoing review and amendment of the Adoption Regulations, 2022.
The case arose from a petition filed by a single parent who had adopted a child and sought permission to surrender the child, citing the child’s mental ailment.
Cara, in its reply, stated that the issue was partially addressed, with Regulation 9(4) barring adoptive parents responsible for disruption or dissolution from adopting again. The bench of Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen will consider the petition on Oct 23. Regarding the restriction on repeated placement of a child from one family to another, the VRC stated that such placements could disrupt a child’s sense of security, continuity and belonging. It recommended that foster care should be clearly understood as temporary unless converted into a permanent arrangement, and that foster families should receive adequate financial, social, counselling and professional support. However, no specific provision presently prescribes a limit on repeated re-placement of a child in foster care. The recommendations also include clarifying the role of specialised adoption agencies in dissolution proceedings, strengthening the role of legal services institutions and strengthening pre-adoption preparation of children, among other measures.