This report covers the latest data on adoptions of Australian children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in the number of adoptions dating back to 1996–97.

This report on the Inquiry into responses to historical forced adoption in Victoria is the result of extensive research and consultation by the Legislative Assembly’s Legal and Social Issues Committee at the Parliament of Victoria.

Adoptions Australia 2019–20, the 30th report in the series, covers the latest data on adoptions of Australia children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in the number of adoptions dating back to 1995–96.

To help inform adoption policy and practice in Australia, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) releases an annual report documenting trends in the use of adoption to meet the needs of children and young people. This report covers the 2018–19 period.

The ACT Community Services Directorate received over 40 submissions from individuals and organisations in response to their 2018 discussion paper. These highlighted several overarching themes, including a view that the dispensing with consent provisions should prioritise children’s best interests. Feedback from the submissions is outlined...

This Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) statistical report provides a summary of the data collected in the Caseworker Survey conducted as part of the POCLS. The purpose of this report is to provide a useful reference point for policy officers, frontline workers and researchers.

This paper examines the infants and toddlers in the POCLS sample who exited out-of-home care because they either went home to live with their parents (i.e. restoration), were placed with guardians, or because they were adopted.

This discussion paper aims to assist interested community members to contribute to the ACT Government’s exploration of provisions for dispensing with consent in the domestic adoption process.

Adoptions Australia 2017–18, the 28th report in the series, covers the latest data on adoptions of Australia children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in the number of adoptions dating back to 1993–94.

All Australian children deserve to feel safe and loved and to have a strong sense of identity and belonging. Unfortunately there are tens of thousands of Australian children in out-of-home care who need a family they can belong to. It is not acceptable that children...

Children are already being removed from Indigenous communities at an unprecedented rate. Indigenous children make up 36.9% of children in out-of-home care in Australia, despite being just 3% of the population.

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the factors that influence outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC). It aims to summarise research findings on which factors predict positive or negative outcomes and thereby inform policies and practices in order...

There is a growing awareness that all children need stable homes and families to thrive. This has led to policymakers facing mounting calls from adoption advocates to increase the number of ‘open adoptions’ from out of care in Australia.

After a long-term downward trend, adoption numbers are rising, particularly for children who are already known to their adoptive parents, according to this report.

Attempting to keep and reunite children with even highly dysfunctional parents at almost all costs has swung the pendulum of child protection systems too far in favour of defending parental rights at the expense of protecting children’s rights and best interests.

The major recommendation of this report is that there should be a new Adoption Act in Victoria.

Overview The Forced Adoption Support Services Scoping Study identified a need for support service providers to establish or contribute to local networks to enhance collaboration, referrals and support for people affected by forced adoptions. The Department of Social Services (DSS) contracted the Australian Institute of...

Summary Adoption numbers continued to decline In 2015–16, 278 adoptions were recorded as finalised. This is the lowest annual number of adoptions on record, and is a fall of 5% from the 292 adoptions in 2014–15, and of 74% from the 1,052 adoptions 25 years...

SNAICC and many of its members have been watching with concern as, around the country, a range of processes are undertaken to progress longer-term care arrangements for children. They vary in detail but have been broadly described as permanency planning measures. Some of these proposals...

Adoptions Australia 2014–15, the 25th report in the series, presents the latest data on adoptions of Australian children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in the number of adoptions back to 1990–91. Summary Adoption numbers continued to decline In 2014–15, 292 adoptions were...

The Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) is the first large scale prospective longitudinal study on out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia. This baseline statistical report presents an overview of the study design and key findings over a broad range of areas that have emerged from...

Presents the latest data on adoptions of Australian children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in the number of adoptions back to 1989–90. Summary Adoption numbers remained low The 317 adoptions considered to have been finalised in 2013-14 are the lowest annual number...

Under the current NSW Child Protection legislative reforms, there is increased emphasis on permanency arrangements including adoption and long-term guardianship orders. This paper provides an overview of the development of post-adoption support services in the US and UK; outlines research on the benefits of post-adoption...

These collected essays explore the complexities that confront those who frame social policy and those involved in the social services and legal systems that intersect with child and family issues. Introduction There are few areas of policy that carry greater complexity than those that focus...

The Abbott government can provide national leadership and take adoption out of the ‘too-hard’ basket by setting national child protection performance targets, argues this report, including by boosting the number of local adoptions from care to the equivalent of more adoption-friendly countries within the next...