Parental rights and duties The 2010 Act provides that when an adoption order is made or where an adoption effected outside the State is recognised under this Act, the child concerned shall be considered as the child of the adopters and the birth parents or guardian shall lose all parental rights and be freed from all parental duties with respect to the child (unless the […]
Visits and enquiries The Adoption Authority and the Child and Family Agency may authorise a member or employee to visit the homes of the child, the guardian of the child, the applicants for an adoption order or for the recognition of an intercountry adoption and the person having custody of the child for the purpose of an adoption and to make enquiries on the Authority’s […]
Father and Others The 2010 Act provides that the father of a child may give written notice to the Authority, before or after the birth, of his wish to be consulted in relation to the placement of the child for adoption, or in relation to an application for an adoption order by the mother or a relative of the child. The Children and Family Relationships […]
Children who may be adopted The Authority shall not make an adoption order in respect of a child unless— the child resides in the State, and is, at the date of the making of the adoption order, less than 18 years of age, the child has in a case where the applicant is a step parent of the child, a home with the child’s parent […]
Register of Accredited Bodies he Adoption Societies Register kept the Adoption Act 1952 by An Bord Uchtála is continued in being and, on and is to be known as the register of accredited bodies, and kept and maintained under this Act by the Authority. Entries in the register of accredited bodies shall be in the form and contain the particulars required. The register of accredited bodies shall […]
Openness Openness in adoption has become an increasing feature over the last 20 years. There are biological reasons why it might be necessary to trace parents, such as hereditary diseases, allergies and other inherited risk factors. The previous requirements for absolute confidentiality have been relaxed in practice. Many agencies have facilitated meetings with natural parents and adult children where both consented. Another feature is where […]
Inter-Country Adoptions In stark contrast to earlier times, most adoptions now constitute inter-country adoptions. The Adoption Authority must recognise and register adoptions that satisfy the conditions in the legislation. The Authority maintains the register of foreign adoptions. Within three months of the child entering the State after an inter-country adoption from another state, the adopters must apply to the authority for registration of the child […]
Background Before 1952, legal adoption did not exist in Ireland. The 1952 Act placed conditions on the categories of persons who were qualified to adopt or be adopted in terms of age, religion and other criteria. The legislation evolved, with various amendments throughout the 1960s and ’70s. A significant number of cases were heard by the higher courts on adoption, particularly applications to dispense with […]
Suitability Prospective adopters may apply to the HSE for assessment of their suitability and eligibility to adopt. Adoption committees may advise and assist the Authority in the performance of its functions and make representations regarding declarations of eligibility and suitability. The Authority may make inquiries and visit the homes of applicants. They may be examined medically. The adoption committee considers the assessment report and recommends […]
Marital Children Before the Adoption Act 1988, it was not possible to adopt children born to married parents. This meant that many children in long-term foster care, who would have benefited from adoption, could not be adopted. The Adoption Act 1988 removed the previous restriction on adopting marital children. The Act seeks to fit within narrow constitutional grounds by providing narrow circumstances in which the […]
Adoption The provisions of adoption legislation were amended by the Child and Family Relations Act 2015. It enables civil partners, couples and cohabiting couples who have cohabited for more than three years to be eligible to adopt jointly. It also allows for female same-sex couples to place a child for adoption. Cohabiting couples, for the purposes of adoption legislation, are two adults who have been […]