A transparent and accountable system is essential to ensure safety and wellbeing of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children. Such children need care and protection. The government has developed a robust policy to ensure adoption of such children in a transparent and accountable manner.

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a statutory body of the Ministry of Women & Child Development, has developed Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) and taken other initiatives for care and protection of the children in need. The Authority was conferred two SKOCH Orders-of-Merit and two awards in Gold category.

Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS)

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has developed Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS). This is a complaint registration and tracking system that uses the Internet, phone and e-mail to register complaints. Through this system, prospective adoptive parents can register their grievances as well as track the progress of redressal (over the Internet or through a phone call) through a “complaint tracking number” generated by the system. In generating this number, the system aims to strengthen and build accountability for effective service delivery and governance.

CARINGS has become the heart of the adoption process and has excelled as an e-Governance tool. It has been designated as the only system or platform through which legal adoption is processed. CARINGS has been instrumental to implement, supervise, monitor and evaluate the child adoption programme for In-Country & Inter-Country in accordance with provisions under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, Juvenile Justice Model Rules 2016 and Adoption Regulation 2017 notified by the Government of India.

Grievance Redressal

CARINGS provides online monitoring of the adoption and post-adoption process by CARA at central and state government level. In 2017, CARA launched the online query and grievance module in the CARINGS. The Online Grievance Redressal System is a complaint registration and tracking system that uses the Internet, phone and e-mail to register complaints. Prior to upgrade of CARINGS and the launch of the Grievance Redressal Module the implementation, monitoring, evaluation of the grievances received during the implementation of the adoption programme in the country was in an un-organised manner. There was no MIS in place to check the grievance statistics and address to the grievances raised by the prospective adoptive parents.

Now all steps involved in In-Country and Out-Country adoptions have been made online. Early and informed redressal of all the grievances raised by prospective adoptive parents help in making an informed decision. Around 7,300 complaints have been received through this module and 99 per cent of these grievances are satisfactorily responded since the launch of this platform in 2017.

CARA is consistently working in the best interest of the children. To achieve this the Authority has taken the following steps:

• Making the entire process transparent, smooth, completely online
• Equitably accessible through all PAPs
• Strengthening our focus on child centric approach
• Streamlining legislation
• Coordination and linkages of various stakeholders
• Smoothening and accelerating the process of adoption
• Regulating and monitoring the entire process, and
• Maintaining a firm follow up process to ensure the best interest of all adopted children.

CARA through CARINGS has further simplified adoption process and has brought in greater transparency through e-Governance, where all stakeholders including the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) can monitor the status and progress of their case. All the stakeholders viz – Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs), Authorised Foreign Adoption Agencies (AFAAs), State Adoptions Resource Agencies (SARAs), District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), NOC Committee and Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) are utilising this common online application, which acts as the Central Registry for Adoption under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.