Glossary

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person: A person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

additional care needs: Additional care needs in the Australian adoptions context is defined as the level of resources or support services required by the adoptee and/or their adoptive family to foster healthy development and wellbeing, and to support positive family functioning, and to prevent adoption disruption. Additional care needs are examined through a continuum of level of need that is broken down into the following categories: no additional care needsminor additional care needs, and moderate to substantial additional care needs.

adoptee: The children and adults who have been the subject of an adoption order. Also known as adopted children and adopted persons.

adoption: The legal process by which a person legally becomes a child of the adoptive parent(s) and legally ceases to be a child of his/her existing parent(s).

adoption authority: An agency authorised under adoption legislation to decide on the placement of an adoptive child. In Australia, adoptions can be arranged by state and territory departments responsible for adoption, or by an authorised non-government agency. There are 2 categories of authorities: government arranging body and non-government arranging body.

adoption compliance certificate: A certificate defined by both the Family Law (Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption) Regulations 1998 and the Family Law (Bilateral Arrangements – Intercountry Adoption) Regulations 1998. This is a document issued by competent authorities in the overseas country where the child was adopted that affirms that the adoption is made in compliance with Article 23 of the Hague Convention or the equivalent laws of the sending country, and, in the case of a Hague adoption, that the relevant authorities have agreed to the adoption.

adoption order: A judicial or administrative order, made by a competent authority under adoption legislation, by which the adoptive parent(s) become the legal parent(s) of the child.

adoptive parent: A person who has become the parent of a child or adult as the result of an adoption order.

age of adopted child: For known child adoptions, the age when the adoption order for the child was granted. For local adoptions and intercountry adoptions, it is the age at which the child is placed with the adoptive family. Age is calculated from date of birth, in completed years.

applicant: A married couple, a de facto couple or a single person who is applying to adopt a child. The method by which the applicant becomes an official client will vary for each jurisdiction, and might be when the department first opens a file, when the applicant registers, or when the applicant is invited to attend an information session. For this report, applicants who are already a client of the department, but are applying to adopt a subsequent child, or reapplying to adopt, are counted as applicants applying for the first time.

bilateral adoption: An intercountry adoption from a country with which Australia had an active intercountry adoption program arrangement, but which had not ratified or acceded to the Hague Convention. This type of adoption is made under the Family Law (Bilateral Arrangements – Intercountry Adoption) Regulations 1998.

birth mother: The biological mother of an adoptee.

birth father: The biological father of an adoptee

carer (known child adoption): Foster parent or other non-relative who has been caring for the child and has had the responsibility for making decisions about the daily care and control of the child for the relevant period (as specified by the relevant state/territory department) before the adoption.

Central Authority: An officially designated body with specific obligations under the Hague Convention; all countries that are party to this convention on intercountry adoption must have such a body. The Australian Central Authority is the Australian Government Department of Social Services. As Australia is a federation, a central authority has also been designated in each state and territory.

country of origin: The usual country of residence of the child being adopted. This is generally also the country of birth of a child.

de facto relationship (prospective/adoptive parents): An arrangement where 2 prospective/adoptive parents, who are not legally married, live together in a de facto relationship as defined by the state or territory in which they live.

dispensation: A legal process by which a court may declare that the consent of a parent is not required for an adoption order to be granted. Grounds for dispensation applications are set under individual state and territory legislation.

disruption: An adoption process that ends after the child is placed in an adoptive home and before the adoption is legally finalised. This results in the child’s return to (or entry into) foster care or placement with new adoptive parent(s).

dissolution: An adoption process in which the legal relationship between the adoptive parent(s) and adoptive child is severed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, after the adoption is legally finalised. This results in the child’s return to (or entry into) foster care or placement with new adoptive parent(s).

expatriate adoption: An adoption that occurs when an Australian citizen or permanent resident living abroad adopts a child through a national or domestic adoption system of another country. Australian adoption authorities are not responsible for expatriate adoptions, and do not assess or approve applicants for such adoptions.

finalised adoption: An adoption order that was completed during the reporting period. This includes orders that were made in Australia, and, in the case of some intercountry adoptions, where the full adoption order was made in the country of origin. The way an adoption is finalised depends on the process used in the country of origin and the procedures of the state or territory department responsible for adoption in Australia.

full adoption order in child’s country of origin: An adoption in the child’s country of origin made by an order that creates, between the child and the adoptive parent(s), the relationships of parent and child, and that severs the relationship between the child and the birth parents.

government arranging body: A state or territory department (see Links and other information) or another government authority authorised under adoption legislation to decide on the placement of an adoptive child.

guardianship/custody order (parental responsibility order): An order that involves the transfer of legal guardianship from the child’s parents to the relevant state or territory department or minister, or non-government agency. Such an order involves considerable intervention in the child’s life and that of their family, and is sought only as a last resort.

A guardianship order conveys responsibility for the welfare of the child to the guardian (for example, about the child’s education, health, religion, accommodation and financial matters). It does not necessarily grant the right to the daily care and control of the child, or the right to decide on the daily care and control of the child, which are granted under custody orders.

A custody order generally places children in the custody of the state or territory minister, or department responsible for child protection, or non-government agency. This order usually makes the child protection department responsible for the daily care and requirements of the child, while the parent retains legal guardianship. Custody alone does not necessarily bestow any responsibility for the long-term welfare of the child. This might vary with each individual jurisdiction’s guardianship and custody orders.

guardianship order in child’s country of origin: An order made in the child’s country of origin that creates a custodial relationship between the adoptive parent(s) and the child, but does not create the relationship of parent and child. In these cases, the parent–child link between the parent and the child is not severed. The child enters Australia under a guardianship order, and the full adoption order is made in Australia or the child’s country of origin.

Hague adoption: An intercountry adoption where the adoptive child’s country of origin has ratified or acceded to the Hague Convention, the file of the applicant(s) was sent after the Hague Convention entered into force in that country and where an adoption compliance certificate was issued.

Hague Convention (intercountry adoption): A convention – specifically, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption – that establishes standards and procedures for adoptions between countries. The Hague Convention aims to ensure intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of the child and guards against illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad. It came into force in Australia on 1 December 1998.

An intercountry adoption is classified as a Hague adoption or bilateral adoption.

Indigenous Australian: A person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Where a person’s Indigenous status is unknown, that person’s Indigenous status may be reported as either ‘unknown’ or, where they are included with non-Indigenous Australians, ‘Other Australian’.

intercountry adoption: An adoption of a child/children from countries other than Australia with which Australia has an official adoption program who may legally be placed for adoption, but who generally have had no previous contact with the adoptive parent(s). There are 2 categories of intercountry adoptions: Hague adoption and bilateral adoption. There are 2 arrangements for intercountry adoptions: full adoption order in child’s country of origin, and guardianship order in child’s country of origin.

intercountry known child adoption: An adoption of a child/children from countries other than Australia, who have a pre-existing relationship with the adoptive parent(s), and who are generally not able to be adopted by anyone other than the adoptive parent(s). These types of adoptions are broken down into the following categories, depending on the child’s relationship to the adoptive parent(s): intercountry relative adoptions or intercountry known non-relative adoptions.

intercountry known non-relative adoption: An adoption of a child/children from countries other than Australia, who are known but not biologically related to the adoptive parent(s).

intercountry relative adoption: An adoption of a child/children from countries other than Australia, who are known and are biologically related to the adoptive parent(s).

known child adoption: An adoption of a child/children who were born or permanently living in Australia before the adoption, who have a pre-existing relationship with the adoptive parent(s), and who are generally not able to be adopted by anyone other than the adoptive parent(s). These types of adoptions are broken down into the following categories, depending on the child’s relationship to the adoptive parent(s): step-parent, relative(s), carer and other.

local adoption: An adoption of a child/children born or permanently living in Australia before the adoption, who are legally able to be placed for adoption but who generally have had no previous contact or relationship with the adoptive parent(s).

marital status of adoptive parent(s): Applicable status at the time the child is placed with the adoptive parent(s), using one of the following categories: registered marriage, de facto relationship and single.

marital status of birth mother – married: The classification of the birth mother if she was legally married (regardless of whether she is married to the birth father) at the time of the child’s birth. In situations where the birth mother’s legal marital partner died before the birth, the birth mother is still classified as married.

marital status of birth mother – unmarried: The classification of the birth mother if she was not legally married at the time of the child’s birth (except in circumstances where the birth mother’s legal marital partner died before the birth). This includes situations where the birth mother was living in a de facto relationship.

matched: the point at which a child’s file has been matched with, presented to, and accepted by, prospective adoptive parent(s) as part of the intercountry adoption process.

minor additional care needs: Children who generally require a level of personal, emotional and physical care that is consistent with that which would be expected for their age group. On most occasions, the resources and supports for the child and their family are comparable to those expected for a family with an average, non-adopted child of similar age in the general population, but the child’s adoption history results in short-term or irregular periods where additional resources and supports are required for the child and/or their family.

moderate to substantial additional care needs: Children who regularly require a level of personal, emotional and/or physical care that is beyond what would be expected for their age group. On a regular and frequent basis, the resources and supports for the child and their family are greater than those expected for a family with an average, non-adopted child of similar age in the general population. Areas of additional need may include, but are not limited to:

  • children (beyond usual age expectations) requiring assistance with dressing, bathing, toileting, feeding, mobility
  • regular physical therapy
  • regular medication for a diagnosed condition that requires skill and training to administer, or is needed to allow significantly improved day-to-day functioning
  • medical need for special dietary restrictions
  • frequent hospital or specialist appointments, or
  • ongoing high support special education programmes.

no additional care needs: Children who regularly require a level of personal, emotional and physical care that is consistent with that which would be expected for their age group. On a day-to-day basis, the resources and supports for the child and their family are essentially the same as would be expected for a family with an average, non-adopted child of similar age in the general population.

non-government arranging body: An agency approved to undertake adoption arrangements in Australia that is not owned or controlled by the Australian Government or by a state or territory government. Such agencies might include church organisations, registered charities, non-profit organisations, companies and cooperative societies and associations.

non-Hague adoption: An adoption from a country with which Australia did not have an active intercountry adoption program, and where the Hague Convention had not entered into force before the file of the applicant(s) was sent.

other (known child adoption): An adoption for a child/children adopted by the commissioning (surrogate) parent(s), whether the commissioning parent(s) is/are a relative or not.

partner country: A country with which Australia had a current intercountry adoption program at the time the file of the applicant(s) was sent.

permanent care order: An order granting permanent guardianship and custody of a child to a third party. Unlike adoption orders, permanent care orders do not change the legal status of the child, and they expire when the child turns 18 or marries. An application may be made to revoke or amend a permanent care order.

The granting of a permanent care order is usually the final step in the process of permanent family placement for children who have been abused or neglected, or who are in need of care and protection for other reasons, and are unable to remain safely within the birth family.

placement: The act of placing a child/children with their adoptive family (that is, for local adoptions, the child is taken into the care of the prospective adoptive parent(s), and for intercountry adoptions, the child enters Australia) during the reporting period, regardless of the status of their adoption order.

prospective adoptive parent(s): A person who has applied or intends to apply to adopt a child through a relevant authority. This also includes current carers of children who are undergoing proceedings to adopt a foster child, and step-parents who intend to adopt their partner’s child.

registered marriage (adoptive parents): The status of 2 adoptive parents who are legally married to each other and living together at the time the child is placed with them.

relative(s) (known child adoption): Any relative(s) of the child being adopted, as defined by the Family Law Act 1975, other than step-parents. For Indigenous children, a relative includes anyone related through kinship arrangements.

single (adoptive parents): The status of an adoptive parent who is not legally married nor living in a de facto relationship (might include widowed parents).

step-parent (known child adoption): A category of known adoption that includes a non-biological parent who is the spouse of the child’s birth parent or adoptive parent. Foster parents are not included in this category.