In Australia, each State and Territory is responsible for its own adoption legislation and committed to acting in the best interests of the child to be adopted.
In Western Australia, the legislation on adoption is in the Adoption Act 1994, the Adoption Rules 1995 and the Adoption Regulations 1995.
The agency that arranges adoptions
The Department for Child Protection, through its Adoption Service, is the only agency allowed to arrange adoptions in Western Australia.
It is illegal to make private arrangements for the adoption of a child. There are heavy penalties - $25,000 fine and two year’s imprisonment - for doing so.
The Hague Convention
Australia has signed the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
This sets out agreed minimum standards and procedures to regulate the adoption of children between countries and to prevent the abduction and trafficking of children.