Adopt Change welcomes NSW government announcement of Institute of Open Adoption

ADOPT CHANGE WELCOMES NSW GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF INSTITUTE OF OPEN ADOPTION STUDIES 

Adopt Change have today welcomed the New South Wales government’s launch of Australia’s first independent, government funded adoption research body. 

“We congratulate Premier Mike Baird, Minister Brad Hazzard and the NSW government’s leadership in the area of adoption. We hope that the Institute’s research will contribute towards the understanding and development of a best practice approach to open adoption – ultimately enabling children who can not be looked after by their birth parents, to grow up in permanent, loving families,” said Jane Hunt, chief executive, Adopt Change. 

She said that while research in this area is critical, the delivery of pre and post adoptive services is still a vital gap that must be considered. “During the next three years we encourage the University of Sydney to work closely with the sector, the practitioners and families involved, to ensure that the research has practical application and translates into the provision of support services for all of those involved in adoption – the children and their birth & adoptive families. ” 

Adopt Change will continue working with the NSW government, the sector and the community to encourage ethical adoption reform and the introduction of pre and post adoption services. This will ensure that vulnerable children have the opportunity to flourish in a loving and permanent family environment. 

“Adopt Change supports adoption as one way in which permanent, modern families may be formed. There are 15,000 Australian children who have been permanently removed from their biological families for two or more years and not placed with relatives or kin*. The current system needs to prioritise the developmental needs of these children to have permanent, stable relationships, so we welcome the Institute as one way in which research can be produced to help provide these children with that outcome,” Hunt said. 

She welcomed the announcement of a further $2 million to progress existing adoption applications, saying, 

“There are a large number of families in New South Wales for whom finalising the care options for their children remains outstanding. The existing timeframes and processes can be stressful for these families, so we welcome any help that will assist in their situations being attended to more quickly.” 

ENDS 

For interviews please contact Samantha Dybac, Sammway e: sjdybac@sammway.com.au p: 0411251373 

Available for interview: Jane Hunt, chief executive, Adopt Change. 

Website: www.adoptchange.org.au
Instagram: https://instagram.com/adoptchangeau/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/adoptchangeau
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdoptChangeAU

References 

* Children who have been in temporary care for two or more years and not placed with a relative or kin. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2015). Child Protection Australia 2013-14. Child and Welfare Series no. 61. Canberra: AIHW. 

About Adopt Change and National Adoption Awareness Week (NAAW) 

Adopt Change believes that every child has a right to grow up in a permanent, loving family, and embraces adoption as a positive and important way of forming that family.
Adopt Change’s mission is to raise community awareness, encourage ethical reform, and empower all Australians to engage with issues affecting adoption. 

Adopt Change is committed to working with community and governments to transform attitudes and laws affecting adoption in Australia.
Adopt Change advocates for open adoption as the first permanent option considered for children who cannot live with their family or kin and will otherwise spend their childhood in Out of Home Care. 

National Adoption Awareness Week (NAAW) is coordinated by Adopt Change to promote reform of Australian adoption laws and practices to facilitate a pro-adoption community. NAAW was founded by Deborra-lee Furness in 2008 and is the second week of November each year.