Section 54 in Tamil Nadu Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2017
54. Foster care including group foster care.
(1)Foster care shall be considered for orphan, abandoned, children from dysfunctional families or from institutions, children whose biological parents are either incapacitated or in a state of crisis and unable to provide the care and protection to the child.(2)Foster care may be long term, short term, or placed in a group.(3)Children who could not be placed on adoption due to various reasons shall be considered for foster care.(4)De-institutionalisation of children and placing them in foster care may be done with the orders of the Child Welfare Committee on the recommendation of the probation officer or District Child Protection Officer.(5)Foster care shall be considered after obtaining the consent of the parents if they are alive and their place of residence is known.(6)No twins and siblings shall be separated by a foster care placement, except under extraordinary circumstances. If for some reasons they are separated, arrangements shall be made for regular interaction between them.(7)In group foster care, mixed genders shall be allowed to live in a family environment with a caregiver;(8)The number of children placed under foster care shall not exceed ten children in one unit including biological children of the foster caregiver;(9)Child Welfare Committee shall maintain a list of those families who volunteer themselves to be foster homes and are interested in being caregivers. Background checks shall be done on all who have volunteered to be prospective foster parents;(10)A child may be removed from a foster home in the event of unwillingness to continue to live under foster care. Such a child shall be admitted to a child care institution.
