CARA Urges State Adoption Agencies to Improve Counselling Services

Swift Summary

• CARA Directives: The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) issued comprehensive instructions to State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARAs) on july 7 to institutionalize structured counselling services across the adoption process stages: pre-adoption, during adoption, and post-adoption.
• Legal Basis: These directives fall under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2021), and adhere to provisions in the Adoption Regulations, 2022.
• Scope: The initiative emphasizes psychosocial support for prospective adoptive parents, adopted children, and biological parents surrendering children for adoption.
• Counselling Requirement: Mandatory structured counselling aims at emotional readiness, smooth transition, and long-term well-being. Qualified counsellors with expertise in child psychology or social work must be empanelled at district and state levels.
• Specific Provisions:

– Pre-adoption counselling during the Home Study report process is mandatory per Regulation 10(7).- Older children require counselling both before and during their adoption journey.
– Post-adoption support covers scenarios like root searches by adopted children or cases indicating potential disruption of adoptions.
– Additional psychosocial interventions might potentially be required as assessed by Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) or District Child Protection Units (DCPUs).

Indian Opinion Analysis

CARA’s directive to institutionalize structured counselling across all stages of adoption highlights a progressive step toward ensuring emotional well-being for all stakeholders involved. By mandating trained mental health professionals’ engagement and making such services compulsory under legal frameworks like the Juvenile Justice Act and Adoption Regulations 2022, this initiative seeks to address critical psychological challenges faced in adoptive transitions.

India has a significant number of orphaned children waiting for stable homes – reinforcing psychosocial frameworks specifically helps older children who often face greater adaptation difficulties. Moreover, supporting biological parents who decide on relinquishment safeguards ethical practice within adoptions. Mandating post-adoption intervention signifies anticipation of potential disruptions while prioritizing solutions that ensure continuity in familial bonds.

By emphasizing resource distribution at district levels with qualified counsellors nationwide – if implemented effectively – it could develop India’s child welfare system further into more humane practices considering long-term implications beyond legal sealing processes.

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