Adoption data
Graphs
Number of adoptions: Queensland 1997-98 to 2005-07.
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 111 |
| 1998-99 | 94 |
| 1999-00 | 105 |
| 2000-01 | 62 |
| 2001-02 | 49 |
| 2002-03 | 67 |
| 2003-04 | 65 |
| 2004-05 | 84 |
| 2005-06 | 82 |
| 2006-07 | 91 |
| 2007-08 | 86 |
Number of adoptions by type: Queensland 1997-98 to 2005-07.
| Year | General | Known | Inter-country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 28 | 40 | 43 |
| 1998-99 | 22 | 36 | 36 |
| 1999-00 | 24 | 21 | 60 |
| 2000-01 | 9 | 13 | 40 |
| 2001-02 | 10 | 6 | 33 |
| 2002-03 | 23 | 15 | 29 |
| 2003-04 | 14 | 2 | 49 |
| 2004-05 | 13 | 6 | 65 |
| 2005-06 | 8 | 13 | 61 |
| 2006-07 | 12 | 16 | 63 |
| 2007-08 | 17 | 22 | 47 |
Tables
- Adoption orders made, category of adoption order by year (Queensland, 1997-98 to 2006-07)
- Adoption applications, category of adoption application (Queensland, 1997-98 to 2006-07)
- Number of people who received identifying information, client type by year of application (Queensland, 1990-91 to 2006-07)
- Number of people who received non-identifying information, client type by year of application (Queensland, 1990-91 to 2006-07)
- Intercountry adoptions, by child’s country or origin (Queensland, 2001-02 to 2006-07)
What is adoption?
Adoption is a legal process that establishes a permanent relationship between a child and their adoptive parents. Adoption transfers the legal rights and responsibilities of parenthood from a child's birth parents to their adoptive parents.
Our department is the sole agency with authority to arrange adoptions in Queensland and is responsible for administering the Adoption of Children Act 1964 and the Adoption of Children Regulation 1999.
Why this topic is important
Adoption is a care option parents can consider if they need to secure a permanent legal family for their child. Adoption is also an option considered by some couples wishing to form a family. Couples who cannot have their own children and families seeking to increase the number of children in their family sometimes consider adopting a child or children.
There are many different reasons why couples consider adoption and why adoption may be appropriate for particular couples. These include:
Couples interested in adopting a child need to consider many issues:
- the welfare and interests of children requiring adoptive placements are paramount in the adoption process
- there are many more couples seeking to adopt children than there are children requiring adoption
- adoptive parenthood is different from biological parenthood but can be as successful and satisfying for children and adoptive parents
- feelings of grief and loss associated with infertility
- considering whether the adoption of a child is right for them
- adoption is about providing for a child's individual needs and cannot be considered as a means of providing company for a lonely spouse, another child in the family or as a way to solve other problems
- under the provisions of current legislation, children who are adopted and parents who consent to their child's adoption can receive identifying information about each other once the adopted person turns 18 years old
- not all couples who seek to adopt will be eligible nor will all eligible couples be favourably assessed as prospective adoptive parents.
Trends
The number of Queensland children adopted has decreased substantially since the 1980s.
Although there are children requiring adoptive families, fewer adoptive families are required for children born in Queensland today than were required in past decades. Due to changing community attitudes and stronger support systems, most parents are able to care for their children or are able to arrange for their children to be cared for within the family network.
The number of step-parent adoptions has also substantially decreased.
The number of intercountry adoptions has clearly emerged as the dominant category of adoptions.
- Last updated
- 2 July 2008