Steps to adopt

Find out what you must do before you can apply to adopt, how you'll be assessed and what happens if you're matched with a child.

1. Call us

Call Adoptions on 02 6207 1069.

You'll get:

information about the adoption process
help to decide if adoption is right for you.

2. Before you can apply

If you want to adopt a child from the ACT or overseas, you must attend our:

adoption education classes
interview to prepare you for adoption.

You do not need to attend education classes if you want to adopt your:

stepchild
foster child.

If you decide to start the adoption process, we'll give you an application form.

We can start your adoption assessment after you:

Fill in and send us the application form.
Pay the application fee.

If you’re a foster carer

There's a different adoption process for foster carers.

Talk to your ACT Together case worker first.
Your case worker will arrange a permanency consultation meeting to find out if adoption is possible.
If the adoption is possible, ACT Together will start a permanency assessment to help decide if adoption is best for the child.

3. Getting consent for adoption

Both birth parents and all legal guardians must agree (consent) to an adoption.

Consent to adopt a foster child

We'll ask for consent from:

people who have legal parental responsibility for the child
birth parents
the Director General Community Services Directorate.

If we cannot get consent

The ACT Government Solicitor will apply to the ACT Supreme Court to remove the need for consent. This is called dispensing with consent and can take 8 weeks to 3 years.

Consent to adopt a stepchild

Your partner and your stepchild must agree to the adoption.

You must get consent to the adoption from:

the other birth parent
any other person who has legal parental responsibility for your stepchild.

If you cannot get consent to adopt your stepchild

You can start the process to dispense with consent through the ACT Supreme Court. You should talk to your lawyer about this.

You could also consider other legal ways to get parental rights and responsibilities.

4. Your adoption assessment

When we get your application, we’ll start the assessment process to find out if you’re suitable to adopt a child.

The assessment process takes 6 to 12 weeks.

The assessment includes:

interviews with you, your children and any adults living in your home
interviews with your main support people (for single applicants)
police, medical and financial checks.

If there’s a time in your past that you're not proud of, we ask you to be open and honest with us. It may not stop you from being found a suitable person to adopt.

If you're adopting a stepchild

We'll also interview the:

child you want to adopt
birth parents or guardians (if possible).

If you're adopting a child in foster care

ACT Together will help us assess your application.

This will include:

interviews with you and the child you want to adopt
updates of your original carer assessments, for example financial, medical and police background checks.

Child and Youth Protection Services must also review your application and support the adoption. This review takes about 2 to 6 weeks.

If they support your adoption, we'll work with you and ACT Together on the next steps of the adoption.

If you're adopting a child from overseas

We'll arrange for a private social worker or psychologist to:

conduct the adoption assessments
write an assessment report.

5. After your assessment

We’ll give your assessment report to a panel of people who have experience in adoptions. They’ll decide if:

adoption is right for the child
you meet the requirements of the adoption legislation to continue to adoption.

If you’re suitable to adopt

We’ll add you to the Register of Suitable People, a legal requirement for all adoptions in the ACT. This takes about 4 to 8 weeks.

You’ll stay on the Register of Suitable People for 2 years. If you want to stay on the register after this time, you must be assessed again.

6. If you’re matched with a child

If we match you and a child who needs adoption, we'll give you non-identifying information about:

the child’s background and health
their birth family and their wishes for future contact.

This is called a placement proposal.

For local adoptions

If you accept the placement, we'll put the child in your care.

We'll do regular check-ups for at least 6 months to:

make sure the placement is working
give you and the child any support you need.

If the placement is working after 6 months, you can apply for an adoption order.

For overseas adoptions

If we've approved you to adopt, we'll send your application to the overseas authority.

If they accept your application, they'll add you to their waiting list.

If they match you to a child, they'll send us a placement proposal to approve. We'll check the proposal complies with Australian law.

If we approve the placement, you’ll get information about the child so you can decide whether to accept or not.

If you accept the placement, you must:

Start the immigration process to allow your adopted child to enter and stay in Australia.
Travel to the child’s country of birth and complete the adoption and immigration requirements.
Complete the adoption overseas or after you and your child return to Australia.
Get a new birth certificate for your child and organise citizenship and a passport.

Learn more about the intercountry adoption process.