Other types of adoption
Children with special needs
Sometimes children with disability are adopted. Their disability might range from mild to profound physical and/or intellectual disabilities. They also range in age from babies to older age children. In other situations, the child might be doing well in their development but their parents have such complex backgrounds that the child’s future progress remains uncertain.
In all these cases, for one reason or another, their birth parents believe adoption is the best option for their child. Children with special needs are placed through the Permanent Care Program. These children, like all children, need love and protection. However they are in particular need of families who can give them, perhaps, even more patience, tolerance and care. Children with disabilities are often challenging, but the rewards are enormous.
Children with special needs are placed through the Permanent Care Program.
To find out more about adopting a child with special needs, download Pathways Into Permanent Care [PDF 24kb].
Stepchildren and adoption
Adoption and Permanent Care Programs are also responsible for adoptions by stepparents and relatives. Stepchildren and Adoption explains the legal situation. It should be noted that adoptions by relatives rarely occur in Victoria.
Your local Adoption and Permanent Care Team will be able to give further assistance if you want to know more about this type of adoption.
Intercountry adoption
In some countries, for reasons such as war, famine or poverty, children are unable to be cared for by their family or any other family in that country. In these cases, children can be placed with Victorian families.
In Victoria the Intercountry Adoption Service is responsible for arranging these adoptions.It’s important to remember that for these children, international adoption is always a last resort. It only happens if they can’t be cared for in the community and culture into which they were born. The overriding consideration in intercountry adoption, as with all adoptions, is always the best interests of the child.