Home > Child Safety Services > 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 Services Queensland, through the Department of Communities (Child Safety Services), 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 Services Queensland 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

  • Past adoptions

  • Adoption information sessions

    Information sessions for couples interested in expressing interest in the Queensland and Intercountry Children's Adoption Programs are provided on a regular basis by the Department of Communities for people wanting more information about adoption in Queensland.

  • Contacts

  • Resources and publications

    Adoption information and forms, websites of interest and schedule of fees.

Last updated: 22 June 2011