Adoption and Foster Care
By: Melissa McGregor
Adoption and Foster Care are both options you have when you find out
you are pregnant.
Adoption
What exactly does adoption mean? It means that your
baby is placed with adoptive parents for the rest of its life. All your
rights and responsibilities for the baby are legally removed and are
given to the adoptive parents. It is a permanent arrangement.
Some issues to think about when considering adoption
include:
- What support you have from family friends and the
father of the baby
- What you want for your baby (eg. the kind of life
you would like your baby to have)
- Your financial and emotional position
- Your relationship status (are you with the father
of the baby or will you be a single parent?)
- Is the pregnancy a result of rape of sexual abuse?
It is also a good idea to talk to your local doctor,
family planning centre or adoption agency to find out more information.
Also talk to the father of the baby (even if you are not a couple) to
find out what he wants. You do need to have the father’s consent
when placing your baby up for adoption.
The adoption process can be fairly lengthy. Once
you have decided that this is the best option for you, you will first
need to have some counselling (it is a requirement when placing your
child up for adoption). During this you will discuss why you have chosen
this option, how you feel about it etc. After you have had counselling
and signed the consent for adoption you have a 25 day "cooling
off" period. During this 25 days you have the opportunity to cancel
the consent if you have changed your mind. Your child will be transferred
to the chief executive of the department for families and communities
during the 25 days.
After the 25 days if you are still choosing to go
through with the adoption you will have the opportunity to express your
views and preferences on what type of family you would like your baby
to be placed in. For example, you may want you baby to be in a family
that has a certain type of religion or a family that lives in either
the country or city. Or a family that already has children or no children
at all. You may choose a name for your baby, but the adoptive parents
will have the right to change it. The adoptive family is chosen by a
social worker and the manager of the adoption service that you go through.
All your wishes will be taken into consideration when they are choosing
the family.
Once the adoptive family is chosen, you may have the
opportunity to meet them, but you will all need to agree to this. Your
child will then be placed with the family.
As mentioned earlier, the process is quite lengthy
and may take a few months, so you need to be willing to go through this.
Adoption isn’t the right option for everyone, but in the end the
decision is up to you and the father so you need to do what is best
for you. Below is a list of websites if you would like more information
about adoption.
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Tasmania
- Western Australia
- Northern Territory
- South Australia
Foster Care
Foster care is also another option to think about
when you are pregnant. It is a temporary arrangement where a foster
carer looks after your baby (or child of any age) for a period of time.
It may only be for a few days, but then may also be for years. You will
still have contact with your baby while they are in foster care.
This may be a good option for you if you want to keep
you baby but perhaps have a problem with drugs and alcohol, no family
support, or for some other reason you are unable to provide adequate
care and a safe and stable environment for your baby.
Foster care differs from state to state in Australia.
The Australian
Foster Care Association website has links to all of the different
foster care organisations in each state.
Author: My name’s Melissa McGregor, I am 22 years
old and a mother of twin girls. I had my girls when I was 19.
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