- 19-Apr-2025
- Healthcare and Medical Malpractice
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), established in 1990 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), plays a pivotal role in the adoption process in India. Its primary goal is to regulate, monitor, and promote ethical and legal adoption to ensure that children are placed in safe and loving families. CARA is a statutory body that provides a standardized framework for adoption and ensures that children’s welfare is protected throughout the adoption process.
CARA is responsible for overseeing and regulating the adoption process in India. It ensures that both domestic and intercountry adoptions follow the legal guidelines established by the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act), 2015, and other relevant laws. CARA works with authorized adoption agencies to ensure that every adoption is handled ethically, transparently, and legally.
One of CARA's primary responsibilities is ensuring that the adoption process is in the best interests of the child. CARA works to safeguard the rights and welfare of children, ensuring that they are placed in families that can provide love, care, and a secure future.
CARA plays a crucial role in managing intercountry adoptions, where children from India are adopted by parents living abroad. It ensures that these adoptions comply with both Indian laws and international regulations, such as those set by the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.
CARA ensures that all adoptions are carried out in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) and the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA). The role of CARA also includes monitoring the adoption process and enforcing compliance with legal standards.
CARA plays a role in educating and raising awareness about ethical adoption practices, helping people understand the legal, emotional, and social implications of adoption.
CARA facilitates the matching of children with adoptive families and helps ensure that both the adoptive parents and children are adequately supported throughout the process.
CARA acts as a liaison body between national and international agencies, fostering collaboration for the ethical placement of children in homes both in India and abroad.
CARA works to ensure that children who are abandoned or surrendered are provided with proper care, including placement in adoption homes and child care institutions. It ensures that these children are given the right to family care and not left in institutional care for extended periods.
Nisha, a 5-year-old girl, has been abandoned by her parents and is placed in a CARA-approved adoption agency. The agency ensures Nisha is legally free for adoption, following the necessary legal processes and obtaining the required consent. CARA matches Nisha with a couple who are eligible to adopt. After the adoption, CARA follows up on Nisha’s welfare in the adoptive home, ensuring her emotional and physical well-being.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the adoption process in India is ethical, legal, and transparent. Its key functions include regulating adoption agencies, safeguarding the welfare of children, ensuring compliance with legal frameworks, managing intercountry adoptions, and promoting ethical adoption practices. CARA helps match children with suitable adoptive parents, ensures post-adoption monitoring, and plays a crucial role in child protection. Through its various initiatives, CARA aims to make adoption a safe, legal, and beneficial process for both children and adoptive families.
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