For adoptive and prospective adoptive parents
Prospective adoptive parents
- Step by step guide to the intercountry adoption process.
- Queensland Adoption Services have developed a series of videos on the process and experience of intercountry adoption from the perspective of adoptive parents who have experienced the intercountry adoption process.
- International Social Services has prepared “Intercountry adoption and its risks: A guide for prospective adopters (PDF)” which assists prospective adoptive parents to take all elements of intercountry adoption into account when making decisions regarding adoption.
- The Department of Social Services has prepared the following factsheets to help prospective adoptive parents navigate the pre-adoption period:
- Sending gifts and care packages in the period between allocation and travel
- Pre-placement contact by prospective adoptive parents (including travel to countries of origin)
- Financial Contributions and Donations by Prospective Adoptive Parents
- Donations and contact with overseas organisations by intercountry adoption support organisations
- Interstate transfer guidelines, in the case that prospective adoptive parents relocate interstate during the course of their adoption application.
- Prospective adoptive parents are encouraged to think carefully about the ethics and motivators of adopting from overseas. You may find the following resources useful to begin these considerations:
- “The Complexity of Adoption Ethics”, published by the Adoptive Families Association of British Columbia
- “Intercountry adoption“, published by UNICEF.
- Prospective adoptive parents should also be aware of the risks associated with expatriate adoption (adoptions by Australians overseas, without the involvement of Australian authorities). Please read the Expatriate Adoption Factsheet
Adoptive Parents
- Intercountry Adoptee and Family Support Service (ICAFSS) provides free support to intercountry adoptees and their families, including, young adoptees, adult adoptees and adoptive parents. ICAFSS provides information, counselling and support specific to parenting adopted children who experienced loss and trauma in their early years.
- Relationship Matters Counselling & Mediation has created a series of webinars, PodCasts and a range of educational seminars and resources to raise awareness and increase skill and knowledge of wide-ranging topics and issues related to intercountry adoption.
- International Social Service Australia has created the Adoptive Parenting: Information for Friends and Family (PDF) factsheet, a resource on what to expect and how to support the family of a newly adopted child. For information about accessing Parental Leave, please refer to Parental leave for intercountry adoptive parents.
- Intercountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV) provides a platform for adoptees to connect in, share, educate and advocate on issues adoptees face. ICAV provide a number of links to resources on Post Adoption Support including, Search and Reunion, Trauma, Race Resources and Cultural Resources.
- Understanding trauma and breakdowns
- International Social Service’s booklet on navigating and learning from intercountry adoption breakdowns (PDF) demonstrates how to identify the indicators of adoption breakdown, provides data and identifies risk and preventative factors that may lead to or prevent an adoption breakdown.
- Queensland Foster and Kinship Care has published a booklet on Children/Young People and Developmental Trauma (PDF). The booklet details how trauma experience may manifest in behaviour, and how best to manage these as a parent or carer.
- Blue Knot Foundation provides a series of resources and information to empower recovery from complex trauma, focusing on people who experience abuse and trauma in childhood, including:
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