National Adoptions Data Collection

Data are collected annually. Aggregate data are provided by state and territory departments and by the Department of Home Affairs. Information is collected on all children placed for adoption and those who had a finalised adoption order in Australia during a financial year. Some data are also collected on children whose adoption order was finalised during the previous financial year. Collected data include characteristics of adopted children, their parents and their adoptive families.

Data are also collected on associated administrative processes including applications and vetoes for contact and information exchange, the type of authority responsible for the adoption, the types of consent provided for the adoption, the median time for intercountry adoption processes, the status of adoption orders at 30 June, and the number of adoption specific visas issued. Data are published by the AIHW in the annual Adoptions Australia report series, in online data visualisations, factsheets, in aggregate data tables, and in a snapshot for Australia’s welfare.