Foster care and Adoption

Children are a supremely important asset for any nation. Their nurturance and solicitude is our responsibility. Every child needs a family and a home. It is a well accepted fact that family takes care of the best interests of the child and is, therefore, considered of prime importance for their proper nurturance, growth and development. Hence every child as a matter of right should be placed in a family. Those children who are deprived of biological parents for whatever reasons should be either fostered or adopted instead of being placed in institutional care.

The importance of In-country adoption is evident. There is an urgent need to ensure that adoption is actively encouraged and propagated throughout the country and that well formulated procedures are followed for the purpose. The Central Adoption Resource Authority the nodal body of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment which deals with adoption issues has worked out common guidelines for the procedures that need to be followed by adoption homes/institutions, etc. before filing adoption petitions in the court on behalf of the client wanting to adopt a child.

Foster care is another option that could be considered for placing children in a family. There is a need to have conceptual clarity regarding the difference between adoption and foster care. Also there is need to distinguish and decide on merit in each individual case whether adoption should be considered or foster care would be more appropriate. Dissemination of information regarding: who is eligible to adopt; agencies that deal with adoption and foster care; the processes and procedures that need to be followed in each case; etc. are all equally important.

With a view to disseminate this information the Department of Adult Continuing Education and Extension in collaboration with PARIMAARJAN – An NGO for Advocacy, Training and Research in Sustainable Development is organizing a One Day Seminar on “Foster care and Adoption: Issues and Procedures” on Monday 4^th December 2006 from 10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Department of Social Work, 3 University Road, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110007.

Experts in the field of adoption and foster care shall deliberate and would empower the participants to disseminate knowledge in the communities that may help the needy children as well as those in need of children. Participation in the Seminar does not involve any registration fee, etc. TA/DA, however, shall be borne by the participants or their organization.

Professor Sneh Lata Tandon
Head, Department of Social Work
University of Delhi