(1) Any child in need of care and protection may be produced before the Committee by any of the following persons, namely:—
(i) any police officer or special juvenile police unit or a designated Child Welfare Police Officer or any officer of District Child Protection Unit or inspector appointed under any labour law for the time being in force;
(ii) any public servant;
(iii) Childline Services or any voluntary or non-governmental organisation or any agency as may be recognised by the State Government;
(iv) Child Welfare Officer or probation officer;
(v) any social worker or a public spirited citizen;
(vi) by the child himself; or
(vii) any nurse, doctor or management of a nursing home, hospital or maternity home:
Provided that the child shall be produced before the Committee without any loss of time but within a period of twenty-four hours excluding the time necessary for the journey.
(2) The State Government may make rules consistent with this Act, to provide for the manner of submitting the report to the Committee and the manner of sending and entrusting the child to children’s home or fit facility or fit person, as the case may be, during the period of the inquiry.
(1) Any individual or a police officer or any functionary of any organisation or a nursing home or hospital or maternity home, who or which finds and takes charge, or is handed over a child who appears or claims to be abandoned or lost, or a child who appears or claims to be an orphan without family support, shall within twenty-four hours (excluding the time necessary for the journey), give information to the Childline Services or the nearest police station or to a Child Welfare Committee or to the District Child Protection Unit, or hand over the child to a child care institution registered under this Act, as the case may be.
1 [(2) The information regarding a child referred to in sub-section (1) shall be uploaded by the Committee or the District Child Protection Unit or the child care institution, as the case may be, on a portal as may be specified by the Central Government in this behalf.]
(1. Subs. by Act 23 of 2021, s. 10, for sub-section (2) (w.e.f. 1-9-2022).
If information regarding a child as required under section 32 is not given within the period specified in the said section, then, such act shall be regarded as an offence.
Any person who has committed an offence under section 33 shall be liable to imprisonment up to six months or fine of ten thousand rupees or both.
(1) A parent or guardian, who for physical, emotional and social factors beyond their control, wishes to surrender a child, shall produce the child before the Committee.
(2) If, after prescribed process of inquiry and counselling, the Committee is satisfied, a surrender deed shall be executed by the parent or guardian, as the case may be, before the Committee.
(3) The parents or guardian who surrendered the child, shall be given two months time to reconsider their decision and in the intervening period the Committee shall either allow, after due inquiry, the child to be with the parents or guardian under supervision, or place the child in a Specialised Adoption Agency, if he or she is below six years of age, or a children’s home if he is above six years.
(1) On production of a child or receipt of a report under section 31, the Committee shall hold an inquiry in such manner as may be prescribed and the Committee, on its own or on the report from any person or agency as specified in sub-section (2) of section 31, may pass an order to send the child to the children’s home or a fit facility or fit person, and for speedy social investigation by a social worker or Child Welfare Officer or Child Welfare Police Officer:
Provided that all children below six years of age, who are orphan, surrendered or appear to be abandoned shall be placed in a Specialised Adoption Agency, where available.
(2) The social investigation shall be completed within fifteen days so as to enable the Committee to pass final order within four months of first production of the child:
Provided that for orphan, abandoned or surrendered children, the time for completion of inquiry shall be as specified in section 38.
(3) After the completion of the inquiry, if Committee is of the opinion that the said child has no family or ostensible support or is in continued need of care and protection, it may send the child to a Specialised Adoption Agency if the child is below six years of age, children’s home or to a fit facility or person or foster family, till suitable means of rehabilitation are found for the child, as may be prescribed, or till the child attains the age of eighteen years:
Provided that the situation of the child placed in a children’s home or with a fit facility or person or a foster family, shall be reviewed by the Committee, as may be prescribed.
(4) The Committee shall submit a quarterly report on the nature of disposal of cases and pendency of cases to the District Magistrate in the manner as may be prescribed, for review of pendency of cases.
(5) After review under sub-section (4), the District Magistrate shall direct the Committee to take necessary remedial measures to address the pendency, if necessary and send a report of such reviews to the State Government, who may cause the constitution of additional Committees, if required:
Provided that if the pendency of cases continues to be unaddressed by the Committee even after three months of receiving such directions, the State Government shall terminate the said Committee and shall constitute a new Committee.
(6) In anticipation of termination of the Committee and in order that no time is lost in constituting a new Committee, the State Government shall maintain a standing panel of eligible persons to be appointed as members of the Committee.
(7) In case of any delay in the constitution of a new Committee under sub-section (5), the Child Welfare Committee of a nearby district shall assume responsibility in the intervening period.
(1) The Committee on being satisfied through the inquiry that the child before the Committee is a child in need of care and protection, may, on consideration of Social Investigation Report 1 [***] and taking into account the child’s wishes in case the child is sufficiently mature to take a view, pass one or more of the following orders, namely:—
(a) declaration that a child is in need of care and protection;
(b) restoration of the child to parents or guardian or family with or without supervision of Child Welfare Officer or designated social worker;
(c) placement of the child in Children’s Home or fit facility or Specialised Adoption Agency for the purpose of adoption for long term or temporary care, keeping in mind the capacity of the institution for housing such children, either after reaching the conclusion that the family of the child cannot be traced or even if traced, restoration of the child to the family is not in the best interest of the child;
(d) placement of the child with fit person for long term or temporary care;
(e) foster care orders under section 44;
(f) sponsorship orders under section 45;
(g) directions to persons or institutions or facilities in whose care the child is placed, regarding care, protection and rehabilitation of the child, including directions relating to immediate shelter and services such as medical attention, psychiatric and psychological support including need-based counselling, occupational therapy or behaviour modification therapy, skill training, legal aid, educational services, and other developmental activities, as required, as well as follow-up and coordination with the District Child Protection Unit or State Government and other agencies;
(h) declaration that the child is legally free for adoption under section 38.
(2) The Committee may also pass orders for—
(i) declaration of fit persons for foster care;
(ii) getting after care support under section 46 of the Act; or
(iii) any other order related to any other function as may be prescribed.
(1. The words “submitted by Child Welfare Officer” omitted by Act 23 of 2021, s. 11 (w.e.f. 1-9-2022).
(1) In case of orphan and abandoned child, the Committee shall make all efforts for tracing the parents or guardians of the child and on completion of such inquiry, if it is established that the child is either an orphan having no one to take care, or abandoned, the Committee shall declare the child legally free for adoption:
Provided that such declaration shall be made within a period of two months from the date of production of the child, for children who are up to two years of age and within four months for children above two years of age:
Provided further that notwithstanding anything contained in this regard in any other law for the time being in force, no first information report shall be registered against any biological parent in the process of inquiry relating to an abandoned or surrendered child under this Act.
(2) In case of surrendered child, the institution where the child has been placed by the Committee on an application for surrender, shall bring the case before the Committee immediately on completion of the period specified in section 35, for declaring the child legally free for adoption.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, a child of a mentally retarded parents or a unwanted child of victim of sexual assault, such child may be declared free for adoption by the Committee, by following the procedure under this Act.
(4) The decision to declare an orphan, abandoned or surrendered child as legally free for adoption shall be taken by at least three members of the Committee.
(5) The Committee shall inform 1 [the District Magistrate] the State Agency and the Authority regarding the number of children declared as legally free for adoption and number of cases pending for decision in the manner as may be prescribed, every month.
(1. Ins. by Act 23 of 2021, s. 12 (w.e.f. 1-9-2022).
