India’s adoption story today is a mix of progress and deep concern. Official data show that nearly two-thirds of children waiting for adoption are those with disabilities or other special needs, even as the country records its highest number of adoptions in over a decade. This sharp imbalance between who is waiting and who is getting adopted has raised tough questions about social attitudes, systemic gaps and the future of thousands of vulnerable children.​

Rising adoptions, But a Skewed Pool

In the financial year 2024–25, India registered 4,515 child adoptions, the highest figure in about 12 years and a sign that more families are choosing legal adoption. Of these, 4,155 were domestic adoptions within India, showing a clear rise in acceptance of adoptive parenting among Indian couples.​

At the same time, the official pool of children legally free for adoption remains relatively small when compared to the huge number of prospective parents waiting. As of early 2025, over 35,000 prospective adoptive parents are registered on the central adoption portal, but only a few thousand children are available at any point. Data from the Union Women and Child Development Ministry show that in 2024, 3,684 children were declared legally free for adoption and 2,177 were actually available for placement, revealing the narrow pipeline through which children enter the system.​

Majority are Children with Disabilities

Within this small pool, children with disabilities or special needs form the majority. Government records indicate that nearly two-thirds of children waiting for adoption fall in this special needs category, which includes physical and intellectual disabilities, chronic illnesses, developmental delays and certain medical or behavioural conditions. In one recent snapshot, out of around 2,400 children available for adoption, less than 1,000 were categorised as “normal” and the rest were marked as children with special needs.​

This situation directly reflects the preferences of many prospective adoptive parents, who tend to ask for “healthy” children in the youngest age group. Officials note that most parents prefer children below two years, or at most up to four years, and are reluctant to accept older children or those with disabilities. As a result, children with special needs, and older children in general, often spend much longer periods in child care institutions, even while thousands of adults are willing to adopt.​

A Painful Mismatch Between Supply and Demand

The numbers highlight a paradox: for every child who is legally free for adoption, there are about 13 sets of parents waiting. Yet many children, especially those with disabilities, continue to wait for years without finding a family. For parents who want to adopt, the average waiting period for a referral has stretched from about one year in 2017 to nearly three and a half years in 2025, even as children remain in institutions.​​

Experts and parliamentary committees have flagged this as a structural problem, not just an emotional one. They point to weak implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, delays in inquiries and court orders, poor coordination between agencies and child welfare committees, and limited capacity among staff as key reasons why children are not moved quickly into the adoption pool. In some states, official records show hundreds of children living in child care institutions but only a handful being declared legally free for adoption, raising concerns over governance and accountability.​​

Concerns over Invisible and Unreported children

Recent remarks by the head of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) have drawn attention to another disturbing layer: children who never enter the legal system at all. She has publicly questioned whether many orphans and abandoned children are “falling into the hands of traffickers” because they are not being properly identified and produced before child welfare committees. Her comments suggest that current figures of children in the adoption pool do not reflect the reality of all vulnerable children in the country.​

Human rights groups and child rights advocates have long warned that missing children, trafficked minors and those informally placed in households as domestic workers or “helpers” often remain outside any official tracking. When these children are not reported or brought under the protection framework, they cannot be considered for legal adoption and remain exposed to exploitation. Strengthening the first line of response – police reporting, child helplines, community awareness and district-level vigilance – is therefore seen as crucial to ensuring that more vulnerable children are identified and given a legal pathway to family care.​

Special Needs Adoptions

Despite the heavy share of children with disabilities in the waiting pool, the number of special needs adoptions remains modest. In 2024-25, around 313 to 328 children with special needs were adopted, forming only about 7 percent of all adoptions in that year. The data also show that children with disabilities face the longest waiting times compared to other categories.​

There are, however, some positive stories. Officials have shared cases where children with developmental or physical disabilities have shown remarkable improvement after being adopted into nurturing families, including children who regained significant abilities with proper therapy and care. Inter-country adoption continues to play a visible role in special needs cases, with a sizeable share of children with disabilities finding homes abroad when Indian families are unwilling to adopt them. These examples underline both the potential of adoption to transform lives and the continued hesitation within Indian society to embrace children with disabilities.​

Legal and Policy Framework Shaping Adoption

Child adoption in India is mainly governed by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (as amended) and is implemented through CARA, a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. CARA manages the digital portal commonly known as CARINGS, through which prospective parents register, track their status and receive referrals of children.​

In recent years, the Supreme Court has also pushed for reforms by directing authorities to identify and categorise children in child care institutions and add them to the adoption pool under five categories – orphans, abandoned children, surrendered children, those with no visitation and those with unfit guardians. Following these directions, CARA and the states have undertaken special drives through which more than 8,500 children were newly added to the adoption pool in one year. To support this expanded ecosystem, the number of specialised adoption agencies has risen from under 500 to nearly 700, now covering a majority of districts in the country.​

Efforts to Bridge the Gap

The government and CARA have introduced several steps to narrow the mismatch between waiting parents and children, and to improve the situation of children with disabilities. One key initiative has been the expansion of the adoption network through 245 new agencies across states, aimed at speeding up case-processing and outreach. Digital upgrades to the CARINGS portal, including modules for foster care and for relative or step-parent adoptions, are expected to cut processing times and reduce paperwork for families.​

Awareness campaigns are another major pillar of the response. Between late 2024 and early 2025, CARA partnered with multiple states to hold meetings with adoptive parents, public events and media campaigns to encourage legal adoption and highlight the need to support children with special needs. Some of these campaigns focus specifically on breaking myths around disability, promoting inclusive parenting and sharing success stories of families that have adopted children with physical or intellectual challenges. Officials argue that changing mindsets is as important as changing laws if more families are to open their homes to such children.​

Challenges

Even with these measures, several stubborn challenges continue to hold back the system. Case studies and official reports point to slow decision-making by child welfare committees, lack of proper documentation, and delays in declaring children “legally free for adoption” as major bottlenecks. In some situations, absentee or untraceable guardians, disputes within extended families or confusion over legal guardianship can keep a child in limbo for years. These delays matter greatly because they push children out of the age group most preferred by adoptive parents, making placement even harder later.​

There are also concerns about the dual system of adoption laws: one track under CARA and the Juvenile Justice framework, and another under personal laws such as the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act. A parliamentary committee has urged the government to review this dual structure and plug loopholes that could allow informal or unsafe placements. Civil society groups say that better training of officials, stronger monitoring of institutions and simpler, time-bound procedures are needed to truly make the system child-centred.​​

The Way Forward

For the large share of children with disabilities who remain in the adoption pool, solutions will need to go beyond statistics. Experts advocate a mix of financial support, community-based services and social security measures to encourage more families to consider adopting children with special needs. This can include higher child care allowances, support for therapies and assistive devices, and inclusive education guarantees to reassure parents about long-term care.​

At the same time, there is a growing push to build strong foster care systems and kinship care models as alternatives or complements to adoption, especially for children with complex needs or older children who may not easily find adoptive homes. If implemented well, such models can ensure that disability does not automatically condemn a child to grow up in an institution. The message from child rights advocates is clear: every child, including those with disabilities, has the right to a family environment, and laws, institutions and social attitudes must all work together to make that right real.​

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share