Placing your child for adoption

Call us to talk about your options

If you are thinking about adoption for your child, you can call the adoptions team in Child and Youth Protection Services. We look after adoptions in the ACT.

You can call us before or after your child is born to talk about:

• what happens when you place your child for adoption
• alternatives to adoption.

1. When you call us

We will:

• listen to you and learn about your situation
• tell you about the adoption process
• offer support and counselling
• give you information about alternatives to adoption
• arrange a meeting with you.

You might also want to get your own advice. This could include legal advice.

2. Meeting with us

At the meeting, you will learn more about the adoption process.

We will help you understand:

• your rights
• the legal requirements of adoption (including needing permission from both parents)
• what to consider before you decide.

The meeting takes about one hour. We can have extra meetings if you need them.

3. Agreeing to the adoption

Both birth parents and all legal guardians must:

• agree and give their permission for the adoption (also called consent)
• sign consent forms.

You cannot legally consent to the adoption until after your baby is born.

Once you have agreed to the adoption:

• your child will be cared for by a foster carer
• you can have contact with your child.

If you change your mind

After you sign the consent forms, you have 28 days to change your mind (called the revocation period).

After 28 days, if you’re still not sure about your decision, you have the option to add another 14 days to the revocation period.

You can only withdraw your consent during this time (called revoking your consent).

After the revocation period, the Community Services Directorate will become your child’s legal guardian until your child is adopted.

If both parents do not give their consent

Sometimes both parents or legal guardians do not give their consent.

If adoption is the best decision for your child, we will start a legal process to remove the need for consent. This is called dispensation of consent.

This process can take more than one year. The time it takes can vary and depends on the views of the Court.

4. Your child’s adoption plan

You can help develop your child’s adoption plan.

You can do this with us and your child’s other parent. You can also meet with us on your own.

Your information

The adoption plan records personal information about you and your family, including:

• medical history
• social background
• reasons for the adoption.

Your child’s adoptive parents will use this information to help your child:

• grow positive feelings about your family and where they come from
• understand and connect to their cultural identity
• know their medical history.

Choosing adoptive parents

You can help choose your child’s adoptive parents. This includes things you want them to have. For example:

• a specific culture
• religious beliefs
• brothers or sisters.

We will give you information about people who we have:

• approved to adopt in the ACT
• matched to your child.

You won't get information that reveals their identity.

You can say who you would prefer to adopt your child. We will make the final decision.

Planning future contact

Adoptions in the ACT are open. This means you, or your family, can have contact with your child after they are adopted.

Contact can be:

• a meeting in person
• sending a letter
• talking on the phone.

We will help everyone involved in the adoption to make a contact plan.

Contact must be safe and happen in a way that is right for the child.

The contact plan will:

• say how and when you can contact your child
• be lodged with the ACT Supreme Court.

It is okay if you choose not to have contact with your child after their adoption. You can change your mind at any time. If you decide to have contact, the adoptions team will help you.

5. Matching your child with adoptive parents

We will meet with the selected adoptive parents and give them information about your child. This information is called a placement proposal.

It includes background and health information to help them decide if they think the match will work.

The proposal won’t reveal your identity or your child’s.

6. Your child moves to their adoptive family

If the adoptive parents accept the placement proposal:

• They will have shared parental responsibility (with us) for your child.
• Your child will move to their adoptive family.
• We will let you know when this has happened.

We will do regular home visits for 6 to 12 months to:

• support your child and their new family
• make sure the placement is working well for everyone.

After 6 months, the adoptive parents can apply to the ACT Supreme Court for an adoption order.

7. Making the adoption legal

Your child’s adoptive parents will lodge an adoption order application with the ACT Supreme Court.

The court will arrange a hearing where a judge will approve or refuse their adoption application.

If the court approves the adoption order:

• all legal rights and responsibilities for your child will be transferred to the adoptive parents
• legal records and your child’s birth certificate will be updated to show the change.

We will let you know when this happens.

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