ACWA has made a submission to the national inquiry into local adoption currently being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.
ACWA’s Barriers to Adoption submission, which draws on information provided by our members and from specific ACWA projects, ultimately contends that adoption should only be supported when it is assessed as the permanency option of choice for a particular child and their family.
In particular, it notes adoption should not be posed as the solution to the following issues:
- Childless couples
- Government expenditure
- A failed family support and child welfare system
- Failed social policies on a broad macro level, such as poverty and the impact social disadvantage.
The standing committee is expected to table its report with recommendations towards the end of the year.