These guidelines are in succession of MFCG 2016 and are based on provisions in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) (JJ) Act, 2015 and JJ Model Rules, 2016, Adoption Regulations, 2022 and Mission Vatsalya Scheme.
- Foster care is the placement of a child in the domestic environment of a family, other than the child’s biological family.
- Such family is selected and approved by the Child Welfare Committee for providing foster care.
Key Provisions in Revised Guidelines
- Children eligible for foster care: Children above 6 years age living in childcare institutions or community including hard-to-place children, children having special needs and children having unfit guardians.
- Eligibility to Foster: Any person, irrespective of marital status, and whether or not they have a biological son/daughter to foster a child (Until now, only married couple were eligible under MFCG 2016).
- Allows single females to foster and adopt a child of any gender, however, single males can only do so for male children.
- Spouse/couple shall have a stable marital relationship of 2 years.
- Foster Adoption: Allows the foster parent, who is already fostering the child for minimum 2 years (as opposed to 5 years earlier), to adopt the same child.
Child Adoption Framework in India
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