Calcutta, May 27: With an increasing number of couples seeking to adopt children but being taken for a ride for lack of knowledge about procedures, the government has realised the need for an awareness drive.

Not for these couples, though, but for officials who do not often know the basics about the procedures adopting a child involves.

“Officials of the social welfare department are themselves not much aware of the rules, regulations, procedures and preparations required for adoption,” said social welfare secretary S.N. Haque.

In association with an NGO, the West Bengal Coordinating Agency on Adoption, the government is organising a day’s workshop in the city on June 7. “Though the taboos related to adoption are not there any more, a lot of things need to be discussed,” said Haque.

At the workshop, the district social welfare officers would be told about ways in which adoption is conducted so that they “can help out those who approach them for information on adoption”.

NGOs from every district working in child welfare are also being asked to join the workshop so that they can share their experience and knowledge. “Though Calcutta is relatively knowledgeable, the situation is not very encouraging in most other places,” Haque added.

A senior official of the department said the legal aspect is often ignored. “It is not good enough to just bring up a child without having gone through the legal procedures. There are many people who continue to make this mistake and suddenly wake up to the problem when they have to admit the child to school.”

Members of the child wel- fare committees would also take part in the programme aimed at making the process “transparent”. These committees scrutinise the procedure and can offer valuable information the ground situation.