Post by Kim on Mar 17, 2007 12:39:33 GMT 10
The Following Information Is For Victorian Local Adoption
Adoption can give a secure family life to children who, for various reasons, can’t live with their birth family. Adoption means that the people caring permanently for the child become the child’s legal parents, affecting the child’s name, birth certificate and inheritance rights. Since adoption legislation was first introduced in 1928, around 64,000 Victorians have been adopted. In the year spanning 2002-03, only 19 infants were adopted.
Adoption is becoming a rarer option for childless couples now that society is more tolerant of single parent families and de facto relationships. Government benefits for single parents and improved access to contraception and abortion are also important factors in the decline in infant adoptions.
Legalities of adoption
Some of the legal issues include:
Adoption legislation is a State, rather than Federal, responsibility. In Victoria, the legislation is the Adoption Act (1984). The provisions in this Act allow adoptive children and birth parents the right to information and contact.
A child can be adopted if adoption consents have been signed, or if the County Court has dispensed with the need for consent.
In the past, if the birth parents were unmarried, only the mother needed to give consent for the adoption. The law requires now that if the birth father is known, he must be informed that an adoption consent has been signed. He then has the opportunity to legally establish that he is the father. If he has established paternity, he must sign an adoption consent before the child can be adopted.
The types of children placed for adoption
In the 1950s and 1960s, there were more infants available for adoption than there were adoptive parents, and children older than six months were difficult to place. Today, the financial and social support offered to single parents means that there are few local babies available for adoption and adoption agencies have long waiting lists. The types of children placed for adoption in Victoria include:
Locally born children of all ages
Limited numbers of locally born infants
Children from other countries.
Children with special needs
There is a particular need for families to care for these children who are from disrupted backgrounds and children who have disabilities. Children from disrupted backgrounds may have birth families with problems including mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction. Children with disabilities may have specific disabilities, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, or the cause of the disability may be unknown.
Criteria for couples wanting to adopt
If a couple wants to adopt, the criteria that must be met include:
They must be married or in a de facto relationship for a minimum of two years.
They must be in good health.
They must be able to actively care for the child until the child is 18 years old, which means parental age at the time of adoption is an important consideration.
They must show good financial management and their ability to adequately support a child.
They must have medical examinations and a criminal records check.
Other criteria examined include the personalities of the couple and the stability of their relationship.
Changes in attitudes
In the past, the biological background of the adopted child was kept secret. Now we know that such information is vital to a person’s sense of identity, and the Victorian adoption laws reflect this with greater access to information and contact. Open adoption means that the birth parent or parents are allowed access visits to the child.
Where to get help
Adoption and Permanent Care Program:
Eastern Metropolitan Region Tel. (03) 9843 6413,
Southern Region Tel. (03) 9521 5666,
Barwon-South Western Region Tel. (03) 5226 4540,
Northern Metropolitan Region Tel. (03) 9304 0799,
Western Region Tel. (03) 9687 5200,
Gippsland Region Tel. (03) 5133 9998,
Grampians Region Tel. (03) 5332 1434,
Loddon Mallee Region Tel. (03) 5440 1100,
Hume Region Tel. (03) 5832 1500
Victorian Adoption Network for Information and Self Help (VANISH) Tel. (03) 9348 2111
Adoption and Family Records Service Tel. 1300 769 926
Things to remember
Adoption of local children is becoming a rarer option for couples now that few children are relinquished for adoption.
The provisions in the Victorian Adoption Act 1984 allow adoptive children and birth parents the right to information and contact.
Adoption can give a secure family life to children who, for various reasons, can’t live with their birth family. Adoption means that the people caring permanently for the child become the child’s legal parents, affecting the child’s name, birth certificate and inheritance rights. Since adoption legislation was first introduced in 1928, around 64,000 Victorians have been adopted. In the year spanning 2002-03, only 19 infants were adopted.
Adoption is becoming a rarer option for childless couples now that society is more tolerant of single parent families and de facto relationships. Government benefits for single parents and improved access to contraception and abortion are also important factors in the decline in infant adoptions.
Legalities of adoption
Some of the legal issues include:
Adoption legislation is a State, rather than Federal, responsibility. In Victoria, the legislation is the Adoption Act (1984). The provisions in this Act allow adoptive children and birth parents the right to information and contact.
A child can be adopted if adoption consents have been signed, or if the County Court has dispensed with the need for consent.
In the past, if the birth parents were unmarried, only the mother needed to give consent for the adoption. The law requires now that if the birth father is known, he must be informed that an adoption consent has been signed. He then has the opportunity to legally establish that he is the father. If he has established paternity, he must sign an adoption consent before the child can be adopted.
The types of children placed for adoption
In the 1950s and 1960s, there were more infants available for adoption than there were adoptive parents, and children older than six months were difficult to place. Today, the financial and social support offered to single parents means that there are few local babies available for adoption and adoption agencies have long waiting lists. The types of children placed for adoption in Victoria include:
Locally born children of all ages
Limited numbers of locally born infants
Children from other countries.
Children with special needs
There is a particular need for families to care for these children who are from disrupted backgrounds and children who have disabilities. Children from disrupted backgrounds may have birth families with problems including mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction. Children with disabilities may have specific disabilities, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, or the cause of the disability may be unknown.
Criteria for couples wanting to adopt
If a couple wants to adopt, the criteria that must be met include:
They must be married or in a de facto relationship for a minimum of two years.
They must be in good health.
They must be able to actively care for the child until the child is 18 years old, which means parental age at the time of adoption is an important consideration.
They must show good financial management and their ability to adequately support a child.
They must have medical examinations and a criminal records check.
Other criteria examined include the personalities of the couple and the stability of their relationship.
Changes in attitudes
In the past, the biological background of the adopted child was kept secret. Now we know that such information is vital to a person’s sense of identity, and the Victorian adoption laws reflect this with greater access to information and contact. Open adoption means that the birth parent or parents are allowed access visits to the child.
Where to get help
Adoption and Permanent Care Program:
Eastern Metropolitan Region Tel. (03) 9843 6413,
Southern Region Tel. (03) 9521 5666,
Barwon-South Western Region Tel. (03) 5226 4540,
Northern Metropolitan Region Tel. (03) 9304 0799,
Western Region Tel. (03) 9687 5200,
Gippsland Region Tel. (03) 5133 9998,
Grampians Region Tel. (03) 5332 1434,
Loddon Mallee Region Tel. (03) 5440 1100,
Hume Region Tel. (03) 5832 1500
Victorian Adoption Network for Information and Self Help (VANISH) Tel. (03) 9348 2111
Adoption and Family Records Service Tel. 1300 769 926
Things to remember
Adoption of local children is becoming a rarer option for couples now that few children are relinquished for adoption.
The provisions in the Victorian Adoption Act 1984 allow adoptive children and birth parents the right to information and contact.