Intercountry Adoption Strategic Plan 2008
The Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department has developed the Intercountry Adoption Strategic Plan 2008. The purpose of the Strategic Plan is to outline the way in which the Department, as the Australian Central Authority, will ensure Australia has a nationally consistent and coordinated approach to the establishment and management of intercountry adoption programs.
The aim of the Strategic Plan is to ensure that:
- existing programs are effectively and efficiently maintained and developed, in accordance with clearly defined workplans
- opportunities for new programs are identified and explored in a timely and efficient manner
- all stakeholders and State and Territory authorities are able to appropriately participate in the development of the program into the future, and
- assistance is provided to partner countries to allow them to better provide for the best interests of their children.
Ad Hoc Requests
Information on Australia’s approach to ad hoc requests is outlined in the Strategic Plan. As a general principle, individual requests to countries with which there is no established program will not be consistent with a strategic approach to Australia's management of intercountry adoption programs. Managing ad hoc requests involves the commitment of significant resources from Governments, which could divert effort from the establishment of broader, more accessible programs that are likely to better provide for the best interests of children in those countries.
