Annual adoption data

Counselling provided to parents considering placing a child for adoption

Parents who are considering placing a child for adoption are provided with counselling. Some continue onto placing a child for adoption, but some do not.

Learn more about considering adoption for a child.

Parent decision following counselling, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Placed for adoption	8	6	13	17
Not placed for adoption	42	32	21	19
Total	50	38	34	36

Families who are included on the Register of People Approved to Adopt

Children placed for adoption are matched to families who have been approved and entered into the Register of People Approved to Adopt.

Learn more about adopting a child.

Number of families registered to adopt a child, by year
	2022	2021	2020
Local adoption only	47	47	43
Local or intercountry adoption	18	16	12
Total	65	63	55

Placements of children

Most children that are adopted will live with their adoptive parent/s for approximately a year before the adoption order is made. This is known as ‘placement’.

The exceptions are:

when someone is adopted by a relative or stepparent, or
if the adoption order is made by a court in another country.

Number of placements from local and overseas adoptions, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Local adoption	8	6	13	17
Total overseas adoption	2	0	6	3
Total placed	10	6	19	20

The placement of children from Victoria

Age of children when placed, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Less than 1 year of age	7	5	12	17
Between 1 and 3 years old	1	1	1	0
Between 3 and 5 years old	0	0	0	0
More than 5 years of age	0	0	0	0

Number of Aboriginal children placed, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Aboriginal children placed with an Aboriginal family	0	0	0	0
Aboriginal children placed with a non-Aboriginal family	0	0	0	0
Total number of Aboriginal children placed	0	0	0	0

Number of children with at least one natural parent born overseas, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Children with at least one natural parent born overseas	3	2	5	5

The placement of children from overseas

Over the past 5 years, children from the following countries have been placed in Victoria:

Hong Kong
Thailand
Colombia
South Korea
Taiwan.

Learn more about overseas country programs

When a child due to be adopted from Hong Kong or Thailand enters Australia, their adoption is yet to be finalised. When the child is from Colombia, South Korea or Taiwan, an adoption order has already been made in that country's court.

The table below shows the number of children that have entered Australia each year from each country.

Number of placements of children from overseas, by financial year
	2022-23	2020-21	2019-20
Hong Kong	1	0	1
Thailand	0	0	0
Total - adoption orders made in Victoria	1	0	1
Colombia	0	1	0
South Korea	1	2	1
Taiwan	0	3	1
Total - adoption orders made in country	1	6	2
Total	2	6	3

Adoption orders made in Victoria by year

An adoption order can be made by the County Court or the Supreme Court.

View the number of adoptions registered with Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM) each year

There are more registered adoptions than reflected in the table below as registered adoptions also include adult adoptions.

Number of adoption orders made in Victoria, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Stepparent adoption	0	0	0	2
Victorian relative	0	0	1	1
Local adoptions	16	8	14	14
Adoption orders made in Victoria (Thailand, Hong Kong)	1	0	1	1
Overseas relative adoption orders made in Victoria	1	0	0	0
Total adoptions	17	8	16	18

Adoption orders made in an overseas court

In addition to the adoption orders made by Victorian courts, some adoption orders are made by the court in the country from which the child was adopted.

Find out more about the process of overseas adoption

Number of adoption orders made in an overseas court, by financial year
	2022-23	2020-21	2019-20
Children adopted through the Colombia, South Korea or Taiwan programs and adopted in country	1	2	3
Overseas relative adoption orders made overseas	0	0	1
Total adoptions	1	2	4

Local adoptions by year the court order was made

As of 1 October 2022, Victoria no longer has approved adoption agencies that can arrange adoptions independently from government. This makes Victoria consistent with most states and territories.

Number of local adoptions by year the court order was made, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Arranged by government	12	2	8	6
Arranged by an adoption agency	4	6	6	8
Total	16	8	14	14

Children are placed for adoption when their natural parent provides free and informed consent. If a child needs a permanent safe and supportive family environment and has come through child protection services, this is called ‘permanent care’, not adoption.

Find out more about permanent care

However, sometimes a parent cannot provide consent for different reasons.

Number of adoptions by natural parent consent and financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Consent from both parents	4	4	6	6
Consent from one parent	12	4	8	8
Both consents dispensed with or not required	0	0	0	0

Number of adoptions where natural parents could not provide consent, by financial year
Reason that consent could not be provided	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Mother could not be found	0	0	0	0
The court dispensed with the mother's consent	0	0	0	0
Father not known	10	4	7	8
Father could not be found	1	0	0	0
Father who was not on the birth certificate, did not respond to letter	0	0	0	0
The court dispensed with the father's consent	1	0	1	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Total	12	4	8	8

Family contact after an adoption order

When a court makes an adoption order, the order may include:

information on what contact the child will have with their natural family, and
a plan detailing how the child will about receive information from their natural family.

Number of adoption orders that include family contact provisions, by financial year
Type of contact	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Contact only	0	0	0	0
Information exchange only	3	2	1	0
Contact and information exchange	10	5	12	13
No contact or information exchange	3	1	1	1

Other court orders

Discharge of adoption

The County and Supreme Courts also hear other applications related to adoption. A person may apply to the County Court of Victoria to undo the legal effect of an adoption order. This is known as ‘discharge of adoption'.

Learn more about discharge of adoption.

Number of adoptions discharged, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Discharge of adoption	5	6	5	3

Applications for adoption records

The Victorian Adoption Act 1984 provides eligible applicants the right to find information about an adoption that is connected to Victoria. Generally, people will be able to apply to adoption services for records.

Find out more about applying for adoption records.

If someone is not eligible to apply or they are not satisfied with the information provided, they may apply to the County and Supreme Courts to provide the information.

Number of applications for adoption information through Country and Supreme Courts, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Adoption information	4	7	6	3

People who received adoption information

Adopted people, natural parents and the children of adopted people are able to apply for information that identifies the adopted person and natural parents.

Find out more about who can apply for adoption records.

Other people such as adoptive parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and siblings can apply for some information. This information is unlikely to identify any person not already known.

Number of people who have received adoption information, by financial year
	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
Adopted people	244	245	209	305
Natural mothers	59	19	33	35
Natural fathers	2	3	6	5
Adoptive parents	3	2	3	11
Children of adoptees	42	74	83	59
Natural relatives	32	48	77	99
Organisation	69	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	2
Total	451	391	411	516

Updated 10 April 2024