DCCW is licensed to do both in-country and inter-country adoptions. The Adoption Programme at Palna began in 1978 and over the last three decades we have placed over 2800 children in loving families, selected after rigorous screening and evaluation procedures.

Every effort is made at Palna to move away from an institutional environment to a homely one, to create an atmosphere of caring and calm and to bring a smile onto the face of each child. The emphasis in Palna is on total care. Palna's multi-specialty medical programme, non-formal educational sessions and recreational facilities and activities, address all aspects of children’s development, good health and overall well-being. 

At Palna infants often arrive in a precarious state of health – low birth weight babies, hypothermic babies, babies with trauma and congenital defects.  Survival is the most immediate challenge for a newborn. A Medical Crisis Unit equipped with an incubator, ventilator, a phototherapy unit, etc handles emergencies among infants and new-borns.  Round-the-clock doctors, nurses and care givers, an emergency care medical unit, and access to hospitals close by ensure that our children are given the best possible medical care. Mortality in Palna today is negligible.

Palna has a physiotherapist, a special educator, a nursery teacher and a speech therapist to supervise the growth and development of the children. In addition, a child guidance counsellor regularly assesses the children and monitors their progress. Training programmes are conducted at regular intervals for our Palna attendants on subjects such as hygiene, handling of infants, and appropriate stimulation for children. Together the caregivers and specialists make the staff-child ratio of 1:4.  

There are separate dormitories in Palna for older girls, older boys, toddlers and infants. In addition, there is a separate wing with two dormitories for mentally challenged children. Adoption is not an option for mentally challenged children who will remain institutionalized.