KOCHI: Midhun and Varun (names changed) feared they would have to leave the only home they had known for the past two years when their foster-care period ended earlier this year. Their foster parents, Reghu and Renu (names changed) of Kozhikode, were struggling with the thought of letting the brothers go, too.
With Midhun turning 18 this month, the brothers asked if they could stay with the couple forever. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) stepped in and facilitated their adoption. The four are now a family.
“They are the two brothers among the four children who were at the CWC after losing their birth parents. When we first met the boys in 2023, they were in Classes 7 and 9. They first stayed with us for 10 days, then two months and eventually two years. By then, we had grown very close,” Renu told TNIE.
The brothers are among five boys placed in foster adoption in Kerala in 2025-26. In the past three years, 23 children in the state have moved from foster care to adoption.
“They often tell us that children at the CWC homes dream of growing up in a family. We had already decided to adopt. Then we found them. We now go together to family functions and other events. They say they are happier than ever,” Reghu said. Theirs is one of several stories of foster care eventually giving children a permanent home.
According to latest data from the Union ministry of women and child development, Kerala has the highest number of children in foster care in the country, with 301 children currently living with foster families.
Tamil Nadu is a distant second with 103, followed by Karnataka (72) and Chhattisgarh (66).
“Every child deserves a home and it is a fact that there are people out there to take that responsibility. The system should be strengthened in such a way that awareness is created at the grassroots level, while ensuring that the safety and comfort of the child remain the priority and do not go unnoticed under any circumstances,” he said.
Around 40 families are currently on the waiting list to provide temporary foster care to children in the state, and the department is processing the applications on priority. Eligible families can also seek financial assistance under the Mission Vatsalya scheme.
The assistance is credited directly to a bank or post office account opened in the child’s name. The account is jointly operated by the child and one of the foster parents, with the amount transferred every month after approval.
Achukuttan also suggested including at least one member who has personal experience of adoption in the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA), similar to the representation in CARA. “Such inclusion could strengthen the system and bring a more inclusive perspective to adoption-related decisions,” he said.