Regional cooperation strengthened for adoption of children with special needs and disabilities
Pune, Sept 2026 : All agencies concerned must work in close coordination to ensure that children with special needs find permanent, loving and supportive families, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said. She emphasised that sustained cooperation, public awareness and effective coordination among all stakeholders are essential to strengthen the adoption system. Promoting family-based care is also the need of the hour for the holistic rehabilitation of children with disabilities, she said.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), functioning under the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, recently organised the fourth Western Regional Consultation Workshop in Pune to strengthen the adoption process and family-based care for children with special needs and disabilities. Minister Aditi Tatkare interacted with participants through video conferencing during the workshop.
The workshop was organised under CARA’s ‘Adoption Awareness Campaign 2025’, with the support of the Maharashtra Government and the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA). The campaign focuses on ‘Promoting Deinstitutionalisation of Children with Special Needs and Disabilities’. Its primary objective is to provide children with special needs a safe, loving and nurturing family environment while promoting family-based care and adoption.
The Western Region has a large geographical and administrative scope, covering Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Against this backdrop, more than 150 stakeholders from over 74 districts participated in the workshop. The event provided an important platform for discussions on adoption procedures, rehabilitation of children, exchange of experiences and coordination among various institutions.
Bhavana Saxena, Chief Executive Officer and Member Secretary of CARA, said that 394 children with special needs were adopted during financial year 2025-26, marking a 25 per cent increase over the 313 adoptions recorded in 2024-25. She said broader and more coordinated efforts by all stakeholders were necessary to ensure that more children with special needs receive the opportunity for permanent, family-based care.
Representatives of SARA, Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs), Child Care Institutions (CCIs), District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), Chief Medical Officers, medical and healthcare experts, and various child protection specialists and officials participated in the workshop.
Maharashtra Ranks Among the Country’s Leaders in Adoption Process; Seven Children Find Permanent Homes from France to Wardha
The Women and Child Development Department conducts adoption procedures with the objective of ensuring that children receive a safe, loving and permanent family instead of institutional care. The process is carried out transparently through an online system in accordance with the guidelines of CARA.
After various stages, including registration of prospective adoptive parents, necessary verification, matching of children with eligible parents and issuance of legal adoption orders, children are legally placed with their new families. The process prioritises the best interests of children and provides them with the family support necessary for love, safety and holistic development. In a recent survey, Maharashtra had emerged as a leading state in the country in the adoption process.
In Nagpur, seven children have received the support of safe, loving and permanent families through the online adoption process. The legal adoption order process was successfully completed for prospective adoptive parents from France, Mumbai, Pune and Wardha.
The initiative marks an important step towards providing children with a nurturing family environment instead of institutional care, while keeping their best interests at the centre of the process. The online system has enhanced transparency, accessibility and efficiency in adoption procedures, giving seven children a new beginning and the prospect of a safe and brighter future.
