Intercountry adoptions involve finding a family for a child where one cannot be found in the child’s country of origin.

Australia is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption and is committed to ensuring that our intercountry adoption practices comply with the principles of the Hague Convention.

Tasmania shares responsibility for intercountry adoption with the Australian Government.

The Department of Social Services is responsible for ensuring that Australia, as a whole, meets its obligations under the Convention. It is also responsible for the establishment and management of Australia’s intercountry adoption programs.

The Department of Social Services works closely with State and Territory authorities, who are responsible for the delivery of intercountry adoption services including processing individual adoption applications. Parenting a child born overseas presents special challenges. Increasingly, children in need of intercountry adoption are older and may have special needs. Families wishing to adopt a child from overseas must have their capacity assessed to determine that they are able to care for an intercountry child. This capacity includes the ability to assist a child to maintain connections with their culture and country of origin. The assessment and approval process for prospective adoptive parents is set out in the Adoption Regulations 2016 and applicants must complete the approval process successfully before they can be placed with an overseas child. In addition to meeting Tasmania’s suitability requirements, applicants must also meet the criteria set by the child’s country of origin. If you are interested in attending an information session about adoption or would like to speak with a Tasmanian adoption worker please contact us.

Intercountry Adoption Australia

Intercountry Adoption Australia is a new national service, created by the Australian Government. The service provides a new national website and a free information line. The Intercountry Adoption Australia Website contains a range of information, including an overview of the intercountry adoption process, important things to consider before applying, information on each overseas partner country, links to support services, and more.