Delhi govt lays down guidelines for foster care, invites applications

The new policies come in the backdrop of several Delhi children losing either one or both parents to Covid-19.

After a delay of nearly six years, the Delhi government has laid down detailed guidelines for the foster care of children who have been deprived of a family or have parents who have been declared unfit. To that end, the department of women and child development (WCD) has also invited applications from families interested in fostering children.

Under the foster care system, the government will incentivise foster care by offering a monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000 per child to the foster family. (HT Photo )

Until now, family-based foster care could never take off in Delhi, despite being mandated under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015, as the policy was stuck in administrative hurdles. But, group foster care has been in place with scores of NGOs taking in children and providing them institutional care.

The new guidelines are in addition to the government’s child sponsorship policy -- Hindustan Times reported on this on June 20 -- which allows corporates and individuals to sponsor the education, health, and basic sustenance of children. Till now, such activities were limited to a few NGOs.

The new policies and guidelines come in the backdrop of several children losing either one or both parents to Covid-19. As per the recent data collected by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, at least 1,436 children lost either one or both parents to Covid-19 in the city. Of them, 59 lost both parents, while 467 lost their mother and 910 lost their father.

Under the foster care system, the government will incentivise foster care by offering a monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000 per child to the foster family.

“This foster care scheme will be linked to the Covid-19 compensation scheme of the Delhi government, which was notified on June 22. We will soon begin an intensive awareness campaign about the scheme so that more people come forward to apply to foster children, and, after scrutinising applications, we will get a clear picture of the number of children who lost their parents or have been abandoned during this pandemic or otherwise. Such children, upon thorough social investigation, will either be placed for adoption, if the child is below six years of age, or for foster care, if (s)he is more than six years old,” said a senior official from the WCD department, on condition of anonymity.

According to the guidelines, the decision to declare an orphan, abandoned or surrendered child as legally free for adoption/foster care is to be taken only on the concurring opinion of majority members (at least three of them) of the child welfare committee (CWC). When there is no majority, the opinion of the chairperson shall prevail. It also mandates that in the case of siblings, they must be kept together, unless it is in their best interests to stay apart.

“The number of children placed with a foster family shall not exceed eight in one unit, including biological children of the foster parents… Children who are not being adopted after being declared legally free for adoption may be eligible for foster care… Short term foster care shall be for a period of one year. Long term foster shall be for a period exceeding one year, which can be periodically extended by the CWC till the child attains 18 years of age…,” read the foster care guidelines, a copy of which is with HT.

A family will be eligible to apply for foster care if the applicant and spouse are at least 35 years old and are Indian citizens, owning a house in Delhi. Both spouses have to be willing to foster the same child and have enough income to meet the needs of the child or children. “A final call on putting a child with a particular set of foster parents will be taken either by the CWC concerned or the Juvenile Justice Board,” said the official quoted above.