intercountryadoption.gov.au : Inter Country Adoption Australia

Organization : Australian Government
Facility : Inter Country Adoption
Country : Australia
Website : https://www.intercountryadoption.gov.au/

Australia Inter Country Adoption

Improvements in local adoption practices and changing social attitudes have made it easier for children to remain either with their families or within their country of birth.

Related : Australian Capital Territory Office of Regulatory Services Apply For Change of Name : www.statusin.org/6922.html

This, of course, means fewer children are requiring intercountry adoption on a global scale.

Pre approval

It’s crucial that you’re adequately educated and prepared to care for a child from overseas. Education and information sessions are provided by your state or territory central authority to provide you with the knowledge, tools and information you’ll need—both during the process of adopting and once the adoption process has finalised.

As part of the process of adopting a child from overseas, you will be required to attend sessions in your state or territory.

State and Territory education sessions cover what is involved when adopting a child from overseas including :
** The legal framework and roles of all relevant parties for intercountry adoption in Australia
** The realities of adopting a child from overseas and developing and maintaining realistic expectations about adoption
** The preparation involved in applying for, and adopting, a child from overseas, including coping with waiting periods

** adopting children with special needs, including characteristics of special needs, and assessing abilities to care for a child with special needs
** general child development issues, including differences between the needs of adopted children and children born into families

** possible challenges with adopting a child from overseas, including attachment issues, adjusting to a new family life in Australia and how parents can approach a connection with the past for their adopted child

During the Process

Detailed information on the assessment process, requirements and criteria are available from the central authority in your state or territory.

The approval process may include health, police and referee checks as well as interviews with an adoption assessor (social worker or psychologist). If approved, the length of time your approval is valid depends on the state or territory you live in.

As you make your way through the intercountry adoption process, you will often need to communicate with the central authority in your state or territory, and we have listed their contact details via the link below.

We have also provided links to other sources of information that may help clarify, or provide some reassurance on this stage of the adoption process :
** State and territory central authorities
** Waiting times
** Immigration, citizenship and passports
** Realities and risks
** Challenges you may face
** Alternatives to intercountry adoption
** Changes to evidence of citizenship for Australian passports

Post Approval

Once your application for intercountry adoption has been approved by the central authority in your state or territory, you should bear in mind that there are still several steps to go in the adoption process.

Approval by your state or territory—or even acceptance of your application by an overseas country—does not guarantee that a child will be placed with your family.

Following approval by your state or territory, processes can vary depending on where you live and the country you have applied to. Your documents may not automatically be sent to the overseas country of your choice. This is because some countries operate application management systems and quotas.

If your chosen country has such a system, it may not be possible for your application to be sent until the country calls for more applications. If this takes some time, you state or territory central authority may have to reassess your situation during this period, in case your circumstances have changed.

Once your application has been prepared and sent :
The period after your documentation has been prepared and sent to the overseas country may be the most challenging time. Decisions about your application need to be made by the overseas authorities, and it’s not possible to estimate how long this may take.

Importantly, overseas agencies have the responsibility of matching children to the most suitable family. Even after your application has been received and deemed by the overseas agency to be suitable for adoption, the agency is not bound to place a child with your family.

For some countries, when a child has not been matched to a family, assessment updates may be required every 12 months. All states and territories in Australia also conduct reassessments of applications after a period where there has been no matching. Contact your state or territory central authority for details of these reassessments.

Receiving a placement proposal from an overseas country :
When an overseas country matches a child to your application, the overseas agency will send a placement proposal to the central authority in your state or territory for approval. Once approved, your state or territory central authority will contact you regarding your acceptance of the proposal.

This proposal will include vital information about the child in need of intercountry adoption, but the amount of information included varies considerably across countries, and depends on the child’s individual circumstances.