- In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires. - (1) "Act" means the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (2 of 2016);(2)"Adoption Committee" means the Committee comprising of the authorized office-bearer of the Specialized Adoption Agency concerned, its visiting doctor or a medical officer from a Government hospital and one official from the District Child Protection Unit; and shall also include a representative of the Child Care Institution, in case the adoption is from a Child Care Institution other than the Specialized Adoption Agency;(3)"adoption fee" means the fee as prescribed by the authority to be received from the prospective adoptive parents directly, in case they are living in India and through Authorized Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Government department, as the case may be, in cases of inter-country adoptions;(4)"Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System" means an online information system for facilitating, guiding and monitoring the adoption programme;(5)"child legally free for adoption" means a child declared as such by the Committee as per the format provided in Schedule I, after making due inquiry under section 38 of the Act;(6)"Child Study Report" means the report which contains details about the child, including his date of birth and social background as per the format provided in Schedule II;(7)"disruption" means the child being unmatched from the adoptive family due to non-adjustment of the child with the adoptive family after placement, but prior to the completion of the legal process of adoption;(8)"dissolution" means the annulment of the adoption legally, due to non-adjustment of the child with the adoptive family, after the court decree for the adoption has been obtained;(9)"habitual residence" means a place of settled dwelling, which constitutes the ordinary residence of a person at least for a period of one year;(10)"Hague Adoption Convention" means the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption(1993);(11)"Home Study Report" means a report containing details of the prospective adoptive parents, which shall include social and economic status, family background, description of home and atmosphere therein and health status as per the format provided in Schedule VII;(12)"in-country adoption" means adoption of a child by a citizen of India residing in India;(13)"Medical Examination Report" means the report in respect of health condition of a child given by a duly licensed physician in the format provided in Schedule III and Schedule IV;(14)"No Objection Certificate" means the certificate issued by the Authority permitting the child to be placed in adoption with foreign or overseas citizen of India or non-resident Indian prospective adoptive parents;(15)"pending adoptions" means those adoption matters, where the prospective adoptive parents are already registered for adoption or who have accepted the referral of a child from a Specialized Adoption Agency or Child Care Institution before the expiry, suspension or withdrawal of recognition of such Specialized Adoption Agency or Child Care Institution;(16)"pre-adoption foster care" means a stage when the temporary custody of a child is given to prospective adoptive parents, till the adoption order is granted by the competent court;(17)"resident Indian" means an Indian citizen living in India;(18)"rules" means the rules notified under section 110 of the Act;(19)"Schedule" means a Schedule annexed to these regulations;(20)"social worker" means a person having either post graduate degree in social work or sociology or psychology or child development, or a graduate degree in child education or child development or child protection, and who is engaged by the Child Care Institution or Specialized Adoption Agency or authorized by District Child Protection Unit or State Adoption Resource Agency or Central Adoption Resource Authority, and is having at least ten years' experience in preparing Home Study Report, Child Study Report, rendering post-adoption services or performing any other work assigned to such person;(21)"special need child" means a child who is mentally ill or physically challenged or both as specified in Schedule XVIII;(22)words and expressions used but not defined in these regulations shall have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Act or the rules made thereunder.
