Ten-year-old Appu, who was rescued by child care volunteers from a marketplace in Shivajinagar market three years ago, was among 43 children who found new families under a foster care programme initiated by Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and non-governmental organisation BOSCO.
Chand Pasha, a Gouripalya-based businessman and his wife Shabana along with their daughters and a son, volunteered to take care of Appu after attending an awareness programme organised by BOSCO to promote the initiative.
BOSCO counselled the couple and the children, carried out a home assessment, spoke to neighbours and conducted medical tests before submitting the case to the CWC to obtain a “fit person status” for the family.
In the meantime, Appu was sent to live with the family for a couple of days to help him adjust to the new environment. Until then, Appu had been living in an institution for rescued children. He went reluctantly, but was in tears when he returned, as he wanted to continue living with the family, said Milan Mandamma, programme coordinator.
Under the foster care programme, biological parents with a single child will be allowed to take in children who are deprived of a family. This programme can also be considered as a transition period where the child will try to adjust to family life before being given for adoption, she added.
Director of BOSCO Mane Fr. Ps George said that as per the Juvenile Justice Act, every child rescued and rehabilitated by the CWC has a right to family life while institutional care should be the last resort.
How it works
“As part of the foster care programme, we identify destitute children and hand them over to childless couples or people having a single child who are willing to adopt on a temporary basis. This is called weaning, where the institution has regular checks on the progress of the child and the behaviour of the foster parents.
"Normally, the process of adoption is very difficult for a child between the age of six and nine. Foster care prepares a child for adoption,” he said.
“Though there is a provision for financial assistance for foster parents, we are not encouraging it as it should not be misused,” he added.
Department of Women and Child Development Director Gurneet Tej told The Hindu that there are various child care programmes that come under the Juvenile Justice Act.
