Foster Care Scheme (Vatsalaya)

What is the Foster Care Scheme (Vatsalaya)?

The Foster Care Scheme, known as Vatsalaya, is implemented by the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa. The scheme provides temporary or substitute care for children in difficult circumstances whose parents are unable to care for them because of illness, death, desertion by one parent, or any emotional crisis.

Foster care sits between two other outcomes. It is not adoption, which is permanent and severs the legal link to the biological family, and it is not institutional care in a children's home. A foster placement puts the child in a family for as long as the crisis lasts, with the intention that the child can return to their own family when circumstances allow.

The scheme operates within the framework of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the criteria for foster parents follow Section 35 of the Model Rules under that Act.

How much does the Goa foster care scheme pay?

Two allowances are payable to foster families, on the basis of the assessment of the Child Care Coordinator:

Foster Care Allowance: Rs 2,500 per month.

Maintenance Allowance, by age of the child:

A child aged 14 to 18 therefore attracts up to Rs 5,000 a month in total.

Children who are beneficiaries of the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) of the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa, are not eligible for foster care allowances under this scheme. That is the scheme's one stated exclusion, and it exists to prevent duplication of state support for the same child.

The scheme is explicit that the allowance should not be the foster family's motivation for caring for the child, and that the family should not be totally dependent on it. The Child Welfare Committee assesses whether the monthly family income is adequate to take care of foster children in its own right.

Which children are covered?

A child qualifies if at least one of these applies. The child:

• is affected by family breakdown or marital discord
• faces upheavals caused by family illness, substance abuse or any other crisis
• has their safety at risk
• is affected by natural or man-made disasters
• is orphaned, surrendered, relinquished or abandoned
• cannot be placed for adoption for various reasons
• is in an institution and can be reinstated or restored back into a family
• is in conflict with the law

For a child in conflict with the law, the Juvenile Justice Board may refer the child to the Child Welfare Committee to initiate the procedures for foster placement.

Who can become a foster parent in Goa?

You can be considered as a foster parent if:

• You have stable emotional adjustment within the family.
• You have an income with which you are able to meet the basic needs of the child.
• Medical reports of all family members residing on the premises are obtained to determine medical fitness, including checks for HIV, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B.
• You have adequate exposure, orientation and capacity in child caring.
• You are physically, mentally and emotionally stable.
• Your home has adequate space and basic facilities.
• You are willing to follow the rules laid down, including regular visits to a paediatrician, immunisation of the child and maintenance of the child's health records.
• You are willing to sign an agreement and to return the child to the Child Welfare Committee if the Committee so directs.
• You are willing to attend training or orientation programmes on child care and health.
• You will motivate the child to study and send the child to regular school or vocational training.

You are not eligible if:

• Your household income is not adequate to meet the basic needs of a child, as assessed by the Child Welfare Committee.
• The medical assessment of the household does not establish fitness.
• Your home does not have adequate space and basic facilities.
• You are unwilling to sign the agreement, to attend orientation, or to return the child if the Committee directs.
• Your motivation is the allowance itself, or your family would be dependent on it.

There shall be no discrimination in selecting foster parents on the basis of caste, religion, ethnic status, disability or health status. The best interests of the child are paramount, and as far as possible the foster family should belong to a similar social, economic and cultural milieu.

What conditions apply to a placement?

• Due consideration is given to the age and sex of the other children in the foster applicants' household.
• Not more than two children are placed in a foster family, except in the case of siblings who may need to be placed with the same family.
• Foster applicants are counselled about behavioural issues.
• The child's emotional and psychological assessment is discussed with the foster applicants, so that they can deal with the child's situation and the chance of a premature termination of the placement is reduced.
• The child's opinion is sought wherever possible, before the foster care procedures are initiated.

What documents are required?

1. Identity proof
2. Proof of residence
3. Employment certificate
4. Health reports
5. Income certificate
6. Birth certificates
7. Marriage certificates
8. Death certificates, where applicable

The health reports cover every family member residing on the premises, not only the applicants, and include HIV, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B checks.

How to apply for the Foster Care Scheme in Goa

Applications are accepted offline.

1. Visit the District Child Protection Society or the Child Welfare Committee and request a hard copy of the proforma of the application form for the Foster Care Scheme (Vatsalaya) from the Child Care Coordinator or the concerned authority.
2. Fill in all mandatory fields, paste a passport-sized photograph signed across the corner, and attach self-attested copies of the identity, residence, employment, health, income, birth, marriage and, where applicable, death documents.
3. Submit the duly filled and signed application form along with the documents to the Child Care Coordinator or the concerned authority.
4. Acquire the receipt or acknowledgement of successful submission from the District Child Protection Society or Child Welfare Committee.

How are foster families identified?

Two routes exist alongside a direct application:

• The biological parents can identify a relative or a potential caregiver from the vicinity. Kinship foster care of this kind is often the least disruptive option for the child.
• Adoption agencies can prepare a list of couples found ineligible under the adoption criteria but willing to care for children in foster care, and submit that list to the Child Welfare Committee for assessment by the Child Care Coordinator.

The Department also enlists Self-Help Groups, Mahila Mandals, Child Development Project Officers, Village Child Committees, Anganwadi Workers, NGOs and the media to spread awareness of the need for foster parents and families.

What happens after the application?

The Child Care Coordinator assesses the prospective foster parents, and the Child Welfare Committee takes the placement decision. The allowances are payable on the basis of the Child Care Coordinator's assessment, so the assessment is both an eligibility step and a payment step.

After placement, the family is required to keep the child's health records, take the child for regular paediatric visits and immunisation, and send the child to regular school or vocational training. The placement is reviewed, and the Committee may direct that the child be returned to it.

Where do I get help or complain?

The Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa implements the scheme, and the District Child Protection Society and Child Welfare Committee in your district are the working offices. The department page on the state portal at goa.gov.in carries the departmental contact details.

The Government of Goa's public grievance registration route on goaonline.gov.in allows a grievance against the department to be filed and tracked.

For a child in immediate danger, the national child helpline 1098 is the number to call rather than any scheme route.

Practical points for prospective foster families

• Be ready for the home study. Space, facilities and the medical fitness of everyone in the household are assessed, and the assessment is on the home as it is.
• Attend the orientation seriously. Willingness to attend training is an eligibility criterion, and the counselling on behavioural issues exists because premature termination of a placement harms the child badly.
• Understand that foster care is temporary. The agreement includes returning the child to the Child Welfare Committee if directed, and restoration to the biological family is a normal and successful outcome, not a failure.
• Check the DSSS position for the child. If the child already draws the Dayanand Social Security Scheme benefit, foster care allowances are not payable.

How to check your application status

The Foster Care Scheme (Vatsalaya) is an offline scheme with no online tracking portal, so there is no login or reference number system to check progress remotely. Status has to be followed up directly with the office that is handling the case.

1. Go back to the office where you submitted the form. Use the acknowledgement or receipt you were given at submission and ask the Child Care Coordinator, or the concerned officer, for an update on where your application stands, whether the home study has been completed, and whether the Child Welfare Committee has taken it up.
2. Follow up with the Child Welfare Committee directly, since it is the Committee, not the District Child Protection Society counter staff, that actually takes the placement decision. If the Coordinator's office cannot give you a firm answer, ask when the Committee is next sitting on foster care cases.
3. Keep your acknowledgement safe for every follow-up visit or call. Since there is no digital application ID, this paper receipt is the only proof you have that a form was submitted and when.
4. Use the state grievance route if you get no response for an unreasonable period. The Government of Goa's public grievance system at goaonline.gov.in lets you file and track a complaint against a department, and can be used if your application appears to have stalled with no communication.
5. Do not expect a fixed processing timeline. Because placements depend on an individual child's circumstances, a home study, and Committee sittings rather than a batch-processing cycle, there is no published turnaround time to measure your case against; a personal visit or call is the only reliable way to know where things stand.

Common reasons for rejection

Because eligibility here rests on judgement calls by the Child Welfare Committee and Child Care Coordinator rather than on a fixed income or document threshold, most rejections trace back to the home study and interview rather than a paperwork technicality.

• The home study finds the household cannot meet the child's basic needs. If the family's income, as assessed by the Committee, is judged inadequate to support a foster child in addition to the family's own needs, the application does not go forward. The fix is to apply once the household's financial position is more clearly stable, since the allowance itself is not meant to make up the shortfall.
• Medical fitness of the household is not established. Every family member living on the premises, not just the applicants, is medically assessed, including checks for HIV, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. An unresolved or undisclosed health issue in any resident can be grounds for rejection. Getting the required health checks done in advance and being upfront about any ongoing treatment avoids a rejection discovered late in the process.
• The home lacks adequate space or basic facilities. A physical assessment of the residence is part of the process, and a home that is judged too small or without basic facilities for another child fails on this ground alone. This is not usually something that can be fixed quickly, and re-applying only makes sense once living conditions have genuinely changed.
• The motivation for applying is seen as financial. The scheme is explicit that the allowance should not be the reason for taking in a foster child, and that the family should not become dependent on it. If the Coordinator's assessment concludes that the allowance is the primary motivation, or that the family would rely on it rather than on their own income, the application can be turned down on this ground.
• Unwillingness to accept the conditions of placement. Refusing to sign the agreement, declining to commit to the child's schooling, immunisation and paediatric visits, or being unwilling to attend the required orientation or training sessions are all treated as disqualifying, since these commitments are part of what the Committee is approving alongside the family itself.
• A child already receiving the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS). This does not disqualify a foster family in general, but it does mean the foster care and maintenance allowances cannot be paid for that specific child, since the scheme's stated exclusion is to prevent two state benefits being drawn for the same child at once.
• Incomplete or unattested documents. Missing self-attestation, an unsigned photograph, or absent copies of the identity, residence, employment, health, income, birth or marriage documents listed for the application are a straightforward reason for the form to be sent back. Checking each document against the list before submission, and getting every copy self-attested, avoids this entirely.

Where a rejection is on a fixable ground, such as missing documents or health checks not yet done, re-applying once the gap is closed is the normal route; where it is on a judgement ground, such as the home study or motivation assessment, raising it with the Child Welfare Committee directly, or through the goaonline.gov.in grievance route if there is no response at all, is the option available to a prospective foster family.