Don't you think Australia should have adoptions from foster care?

â™¥â™¥Mum To Superkidsâ™¥â™¥

There are, as you said, limited numbers of adoptions but only if the natural parents have relinquished their rights. We do have protection orders called Enduring Parental Responsibility orders, they essentially allow for 'adoption' of the child, ie, you take full legal parental rights and responsibility for the child until 18 years, they have full inheritance rights, etc, only you do not change their last names or other identifying features. With this order you are the children's parents, just as you would be through adoption.

Barnando's also handle adoptions in a few states, they are a non-profit charity organisation who allow for adoptions of older children, especially sibling groups and children with special needs.
Perhaps these provisions weren't available to your foster family, or were you one of those children who kind of got lost in the system?

I don't really think adoption as such is that necessary, what I do think needs to be handled more carefully is permanency planning for children after multiple reunification attempts have failed. That's a big area of the system that really lets kids down.

Randy B

I can't speak for Australia but I do know that not all of the UK allows for foster adoptions. Our case worker when we last adopted was Irish and she was glad to be working in the Canadian system just for that reason. She said that she found it very frustrating that in Ireland there was no foster adoptions. Once a child went into the foster care system if they were made permanent then that is how they stayed, they don't do adoptions that way. She found it heartbreaking that so many children who wanted and needed homes could only stay in foster care, hopefully with the same family at least.

Sounds like your system is like theirs and personally, I can see room for change as you mention.

Just a Mom

I think that all children who will not go home should have the chance to be adopted. I didn't know that Australia didn't allow that. I am sorry that it couldn't happen for you...but glad that you had a wonderful foster family who I am sure thought of you as though you were adopted.

LaPri

You would be a great advocate to get legislation changed for foster care adoptions in Australia. Go to a library a find out if there are any laws regarding this matter. I do not know about your government but you can find out.

You know since you were in foster care so long there has to be many others like you that are voting adults who can ask for laws to be reviewed.

Start by learning what you can about laws regarding children in state custody, then seek out others that have been in your situation and foster parents, create a coalition to improve the status of children of abuse or neglect.

One more thing ask an attorney about adult adoption if you are still interested in being a legal part of your family.

Good luck!

myst1998

In Australia we have Permanent care so a child in care already can be placed in a family permanently or adopted. I have heard there is adoption from foster care as many PAP's who couldn't adopt locally went through the foster care route in order to adopt so it must be the same in Aust as other countries. I think it just depends on the State you are in. Australia fortunately places alot more effort and time into trying to reunite families where possible and is not as favourable about adoption. It is slowly learning from the mistakes it has made - at least one country is!

Serenity71

DOCS main focus is on family preservation. (And it can be taken too far, I have heard of cases like Nurse Kelly pointed out. Kids are at times sent back into dangerous situations for the sake of it.)

There are reasons parental rights aren't terminated here the same was as they are in countries like the US & UK. Our past history has a lot to do with it. I agree with Super mum, its not always necessary for an adoption to take place.

Recently I was speaking to a friend (Who is fostering a young girl) that inquired about adopting her. (Her birth mother has nothing to do with her at the present. ) DOCs began pushing open adoption, (To be closer to the truth they don't give AP's an option in that,) in this child case her mother abused her at 6 weeks old. It was so horrible my friend regretted asking why they removed her. (She didn't disclose the reason to me, and I didn't pry. Not my business.) It made her hesitate to ask further about adoption-even scared for her daughter's safety in the event of open contact.

Without your birth mother consent it couldn't happen whether you wanted it to or not. However, if your in your teens or older, you could still see if they want to make you their legal daughter due to inheritance rights etc. I have met a lot fostered people that wanted to be adopted by their foster family so you're not alone.

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