10.4 Providing adoption services

Purpose

This procedure outlines the process for delivering adoption related services in consultation with Adoption Services.

Key steps

1. Provide adoption services
2. Determine the primary case worker
3. Supervise services delivered by the primary case worker
4. Provide pre-consent counselling to parents
5. Facilitate an adoption care agreement for a child whose parents are receiving pre-consent counselling
6. Witness consents to an adoption
7. Provide information and counselling to a child and consider the child's views
8. Pursue adoption for a child subject to a child protection order
9. Respect Aboriginal tradition and Island custom
10. Respond to a request to provide one-off post adoption services
11. Record information

Standards

1. Each party to an adoption, or proposed adoption, is provided with information he or she reasonably needs to participate effectively in adoption processes.
2. Parents considering consenting to a child's adoption, and the child, where of an age and ability to understand, are provided with pre-consent counselling.
3. Parents and the child, where of an age and ability to understand, are provided with information about the implications of, and the statutory obligations associated with, adoption consents.
4. Under an adoption care agreement, a child may be placed with an approved foster carer under the Child Protection Act 1999.
5. When a child is placed subject to an adoption care agreement, full placement details are withheld from the child’s parents.

Authority

• Adoption Act 2009 (PDF)
• Child Protection Act 1999
• Communities Policy: Recordkeeping