Juvenile delinquents in govt homes could soon get foster care

NEW DELHI: Juvenile delinquents kept in government homes could be soon sent to foster care, in charge of a private caregiver who will provide a family atmosphere to the child.

The Union women and child development ministry notified the model rules for the foster care system, which is quite popular in the US and Britain, under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act. This paved the way for state governments to shift children serving a term in shelter homes to households of acknowledged caregivers.

“This will go a long way in mainstreaming children by putting them in a family environment. Many of these children come from poor families and have been abandoned,” said a government official.

Though quite common in the West, such care is largely used as a pre-adoption procedure in India, where a large number of children in conflict with the law languish in government homes in abysmal condition.

Foster care is among some of the provisions in the revamped juvenile justice law passed by Parliament last year that have not been initiated because the notification was not issued.

Any child over six can be placed in foster care for a minimum of one year or until the kid reaches 18 years.

The process is simple: first, a family willing to take care of a child applies to the government. Then, the child welfare committee in the state conducts a thorough verification to check the family’s ability, intent, capacity and prior experience of taking care of children.

The committee will take into consideration the individual care plan and the opinion of the child before deciding the nature of foster care based on age and maturity, and rules applicable in the state.

A caregiver or “foster parent” has to be an India citizen, married, and above 35 years of age.

Only two states, Delhi and Goa, have passed foster care rules. But implementation has been patchy.

The juvenile justice act, the central law that deals with underage offenders, has several child-friendly provisions.

Also, it is a landmark for allowing juveniles in the 16-18 age-group to be tried as adults for heinous crimes such as rape or murder. But children can’t be sentenced to death or given a life term.