KADAPA: For those couples who are distraught over not having children even after years of marriage and find their houses bereft of any laughter, ‘adopting children’ is a better option, says staff of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in Kadapa district, who have been facilitating adoption legally.
ICDS-run Sishu Griha has received the State-level ‘Uttam Puraskaram’ during Mahila Dinotsavam for its contribution in the last two years. It has facilitated as many as 70 adoptions in the district. In the recent award presentation programme, Sishu Griha manager Kumari received the award from the hands of Principal Secretary (Women and Child Welfare) Anuradha.
Expressing happiness over being recognised for their efforts, ICDS project director A Padmaja said she was happy that the childless couples are now able lead a satisfying life and no longer depressed over not having issues of their own.
The district child protection unit, which works under ICDS, takes care of children below 18 years, who were abandoned by their parents or have become orphans, by ensuring their safety, security and upbringing while protecting child rights. The Sisu Griha is a specialised adoption agency of the child protection unit.
Located at Kondayapalle in the district, it shelters children aged below six years. It not only cares for those abandoned children and orphaned children, but also the children of separated couples with the permission of Child Welfare Committee. According to the staff at Sishu Griha, the children aged below six years of the separated couples are taken care of for 3-6 months till the woman is able to gain herself economic stability to take care of her child or children.
In most cases of road mishaps or other forms of accidents, when the parents get killed, surviving child or children are not taken care of by the relatives and such children are sheltered by the Sishu Griha. More often there are news reports of newborns abandoned at or near the hospitals, mostly by the woman who give birth out of wedlock. Such children are also taken care of by the Sishu Griha.
The ICDS has placed cradles at bus stands, railway stations and PHCs, and monitors them on a daily basis. The abandoned or orphaned children find a new home and happiness, after they are adopted by childless couples. To ensure that there are no legal disputes after adoption, the ICDS officials issue district and State-level notification after the abandoned or orphaned child is brought to them so those related to the children can claim them.
After one month of notification, when there is no response, the child is declared legally free for adoption. Once it is done, even the biological parents will not have any right over the child.The childless couples, who desire to adopt a child, have to apply through Centralised Adoption Resource Authority and have to provide their details of family, photos, medical reports and PAN card. They have to inform the gender of the child they want to adopt and can choose children from various districts in three different States.
The entire process of adoption takes six months to one year and the child will be given to them for adoption after verification of their credentials based on their age and seniority in the list by the adoption committee. The couple, who opted for adoption, will be informed once the committee gives its approval and the couple has to give their consent in 24 hours. Details of the child are provided to them and the child is handed over to them only after their confirmation.
“Children are given for adoption based on the age of the couple. If the combined age of the couple is below 90 years, they are given a child aged between 0 and 4 years and those with the combined age of 100, get a child aged between 4 and 8 and those with the combined age of 110 and below are given a child in the age group of 8-18,” Padmaja said.