Adoption in Australia.?

Question

In the future when Im married I'd like to adopt a child, maybe I won't feel that way then or maybe my future husband might not like the idea but I'd still like to know..Is it possible to adopt in Australia? My mother said that its very unlikely and that adopting from overseas is the only option and thats quite expensive. Not that you can put a price on a child because you cant. I would give everything to help a child but my finances arent endless. Help?

Answer 1

There are very few children available to adopt in Australia and you are right intercountry adoption is very expensive.  You need to ask yourself how much adopting means to you.  If you feel that it is something that you just have to do then I would suggest opening a savings account and start putting money away now.  When the time comes, when you are married or at the age that you want children, you will have that money to draw on either for an adoption if that's what you still want or to help with the cost of having a baby of your own (that's plenty expensive, too) or if you choose at that time that you don't want kids then you could use the money to buy a boat or a car or whatever.  

Point is, start doing it because no matter what you choose taking this step now will make whatever choice you make a more attainable on.

All the best!

Answer 2

In Australia there are under 500 adoptions finalised per year (in contrast to the US where over 130,000 adoptions are finalised per year)- and most are from overseas (almost none are infant domestic adoptions).

Expectant mothers here are encouraged to parent - first and foremost - and no adoption plans are usually made until some time after the child is actually born - as the mother is encouraged both emotionally and financially to parent the child.

There are many many children in foster care - that need loving homes. Some are given up for adoption - but again - family preservation is foremost in Australia. (it's what is best for the child - unless there is a chance of physical harm).

Adoption numbers from overseas to Australia are also much much lower than in the US - as Australia is very strict with which countries adoptions are from - as again - they want to assure that the best options are being carried out for the children.

(care by family members is the best choice / adoption within own country is second best / adoption to another country is the last choice - again this is what is best for the child)

As an adoptee - that has had to live without knowledge of my bio family for 36 years of my 38 - I'm proud that Australia has such strong views on family preservation now. They've finally learnt from past mistakes.

To check out adoption in your own state - Google search 'adoption' and the state you are in - for details. All adoptions have to go through State government depts.

Answer 3

I can tell you what I know about about the situation in Victoria.  It is a bit different in each state but you will find that many of the issues are the same.

In Victoria there are less than 20 infants (under 1 yr of age)  available for adoption each year.  This is mainly due to the fact that that changing attitudes and social and financial support has made it easier for mothers to parent their children.  

There are far more people wanting to adopt than there are available infants.  There is no waiting list.  Couples wanting to adopt are put in a 'pool' and generally the child's parents will choose the prospective adoptive parents from this group.  It may take several months or several years to be considered and ultimately there is no guarentee of being able to adopt.

Children over of the age of 1 are generally not able to be adopted (there are some exceptions).  Instead they are either placed in foster care or, if there is no possibility of ever returning to their families, they can be made available for what is called 'permanent care' which is where the child permanently goes to live with another family.  This is not the same as adoption; the child does not legally become part of the new family and does not take the family's name.  Neither the child or the foster parents have any legal rights as a family and it is possible (although unlikely) that a child could go back to their first family or be moved to another permant care situation.  While some families find that this arrangement works well for them many others desire a full and legal adoption arrangement.  Unfortunately this means that many of these children never find permanent homes and grow up in foster care or group homes.

Unlike local adoption, the Victorian government does not subsidise Intercountry adoption (although this varies from state to state).  This means that the prospective adoptive parents must bear the entire cost of  processing the adoption (both the Australian fees and those of the country you are adopting from).  This can make the process quite expensive with an average intercountry adoption costing around AU$25,000 - $30,000 although this can vary greatly depending on the country you are adopting from.

Hope this helped.