The Adoption and Permanent Care Program

Some babies are placed in Victoria for adoption each year, about twenty or so. A great many more children are placed with families in permanent care. These children live permanently with families, who become responsible for their custody and guardianship. They are all ages, and may come from troubled backgrounds, but loving relationships are formed which can last a lifetime.

Whether you adopt or permanently care for a child, the decisions you're about to make are important, and life changing. Few decisions in life are more important.

That's why both adoption and permanent care placements are managed by laws and regulations. Our children's future depends on getting it right, so if you're thinking about taking a child into your family, there are some steps you have to go through. It's not particularly complicated, but there are processes which are safeguards so our children get the best possible start in life.

Decisions made about placing children with other families are always made in the best interests of the child. Wherever there is a conflict, or a dispute which needs to be resolved, the welfare of the child is always the primary concern.

Whether it's adoption or permanent care it's a big step for families and children, so it's imperative that the whole family is involved.

It's also important to find out as much as you can. This website has been set up to explain these processes to you, as simply as possible. Read it carefully. Then, if you decide to proceed, the next stage is to attend an information session.

Adoption is the process by which a child becomes legally a member of the adopting family. The child's name changes and a new birth certificate is issued, and inheritance rights are the same as if the child was actually born into that family.

If you would like to find out about adopting  a child from overseas, please have a look at the Intercountry Adoption Service website.

Adoption

Adoption is the process by which a child becomes legally a member of the adopting family. The child's name changes and a new birth certificate is issued, and inheritance rights are the same as if the child was actually born into that family.

Adoption has a long history in Victoria. At present there are few infants available for adoption. On average, over the last four or five years, about 20 infants have been placed for adoption each year. Although it is a small program, families are needed so this is an option you should still consider.

But there is another important option you should find out about permanent care.

Permanent care

Many children go into permanent care with Victorian families every year.

Permanent care, as its name suggests, is a legal arrangement in which the child lives permanently with a family that becomes responsible for his or her custody and guardianship. Carers make a permanent commitment to the child placed in their care, and the bonds of love and affection formed between children and their permanent parents are as strong as those formed in adoptions.

Permanent care and adoption both offer children the opportunity to live permanently with families who offer them love, shelter and security. Permanent care is as much a commitment, lifelong relations as adoption. You can read about it elsewhere on this website, but for now, let us concentrate on adoption.

To find out more about what is involved, you are welcome to register for an information session.