SuDatta’s flagship event – a two day Residential Workshop at Visthar in North Bangalore. Adoption professionals including Dr Hoksbergen from Netherlands, social workers, psychologists and adoptive parents came together to review what is happening and what more could happen to facilitate a satisfactory adoption experience for all concerned.

With unconditional support from five cricketers of Karnataka we organised an auction of the players’ memorabilia. It was a thumping success, thanks to Mr Anand Adukoli and SuDatta generated Rs 75000 which has been channelised towards setting up a Resource Centre.

In Ms Shobha Nambisan, then Secretary of Department of Women and Child Welfare inaugurated the SuDatta Adoption Resource Centre at RT Nagar, Bangalore. Besides maintaining reading material and audio visual aids experienced members offered pre adoption and post adoption counselling.

Dr Saraswathi represented SuDatta Bangalore in the move to establish IFAFA –the Indian Federation of Adoptive Families Associations along with NAAF (National Association of Adoptive Families) in Bombay and other groups in Delhi, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Kerala.

A group of members travelled to Mysore in July 2002 and to Mangalore in 2003 to participate and offer support for Adoptive parents in those cities to form their local support groups. We were warmly supported by local Agencies like Bapuji Home in Mysore and Pragna Counselling centre in Mangalore. Mr Shankar and Ms Vidya Shankar who had moved to Pune in the meantime initiated a SuDatta chapter in Pune.

Adoption Cell at the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Government of Karnataka in recognition of our experience and commitment invited us to become regular observers at their periodic Adoption review meetings. Members have been taking turns to represent our views at this governmental forum. Since 2005, placements coordinated by Child Welfare Committee of Government of Karnataka have been inviting members of SuDatta to facilitate preadoption counselling of aspiring parents.

The value of involving adoptive parents groups at the stage of parent preparation is a commonly practiced procedure in many countries and states of India. In September 2006, as per an updated CARA guideline, SuDatta as a nodal association in Bangalore was nominated as an executive member of the Adoption Coordinating Agency ( formerly VCA). Ms Saraswathi now represents SuDatta at the ACA, Bangalore.