Adoption

Adoption

Adoption is a way to provide a permanent family for children who, for various reasons, cannot live with their birth family. The legal adoption process establishes a permanent parent-child relationship between a child and his or her adoptive parents. Adoption also removes the legal relationship between the child and his or her birth parents and extended family.

Adoption and Specialist Support Services, through the department, is responsible for providing services in Queensland for:

parents considering adoption for their children
children requiring adoptive placements
people seeking to adopt children
people seeking information or to lodge a contact statement in relation to a past adoption.

Adoption and Specialist Support Services provides services in accordance with the requirements of the Adoption Act 2009 (PDF) and the Adoption Regulation 2009 (PDF).

It is unlawful to attempt to privately arrange an adoption in Queensland.

Parents considering adoption for their child

Adoption is one option that parents can consider if they need to secure a permanent family to care for their child.

Intercountry adoption

Intercountry adoption provides permanent legal families in Queensland for children from overseas for whom an appropriate adoptive family cannot be found in the country of origin.

Local adoption

Adoption information within the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services on adopting a child within Australia.

Past adoptions

Adoption information about past adoptions and access to information.

Adoption information sessions

Information sessions for couples interested in expressing interest in the Queensland and Intercountry Children's Adoption Programs may be provided from time to time by the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services for people wanting more information about adoption in Queensland.