The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), functioning under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has issued fresh directions to all State Adoption Resource Agencies across states and Union Territories to ensure stricter compliance with adoption procedures, preservation of adoption records, and protection of children’s identity.
The instructions have been issued through three Office Memorandums in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Adoption Regulations 2022. Adoption under the Act aims to secure a family environment for orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered children.
CARA has reiterated that no child can be declared legally free for adoption without completing the mandatory process, including inquiry, efforts to trace biological parents, and restoration attempts within the prescribed time. In the case of surrendered children, the mandatory two-month reconsideration period must also be followed before the child is declared legally free for adoption.
The authority has also clarified rules regarding the safe preservation and transfer of records related to adoptees. This step follows difficulties faced by adult adoptees seeking information about their origins when adoption agencies or child care institutions have been closed, merged, or deregistered. States have been directed to securely preserve both physical and digital records and ensure they are transferred to designated authorities when institutions shut down.
Additionally, CARA has instructed states to strictly enforce confidentiality provisions under the Juvenile Justice Act. Authorities have been told to prevent the disclosure of children’s identities, including photographs, videos, or personal details from specialised adoption agencies or child care institutions, particularly on social media.
The authority said these measures aim to strengthen transparency and accountability in the adoption system while safeguarding the rights, dignity, and privacy of children and adoptees across the country.
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