Ethiopia post-adoption guidelines
Post-adoption reporting
Australia supports open adoption practices. Many adoptees and adoptive families wish to search for information about birth origins and, where possible, establish and maintain relationships with birth families. These Guidelines outline post-adoption reporting requirements, processes, and factors influencing the exploration of birth origins and search for birth families in Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Government respects the right of adoptees to information about their birth families and encourages open adoption practices.
The Ethiopian Government requires the submission of annual post-adoption reports for each Ethiopian-Australian adoptee, until the adoptee turns 18.
The Ethiopian Government department responsible for intercountry adoption is the Ministry for Women and Social Affairs (MOWSA).
Update to process
Recently, the Australian Central Authority (ACA) for intercountry adoption, received information from the Ethiopian Government regarding a new process for the submission of post-adoption reports. This new process is outlined below.
The Ethiopian Government has advised they will now accept post-adoption reports via email from the ACA.
New process
This new process is effective from July 2024.
- Adoptive families should email post-adoption reports to the ACA at ICA.Ethiopia@dss.gov.au.
Reports can be either in PDF or Microsoft Word format. - Important – when emailing the reports, please copy (cc) in the relevant State or Territory Central Authority(Opens in a new tab/window) in which the adoption was facilitated.
- The ACA will forward the reports by email to the Ethiopian Government.
Hardcopy post-adoption reports
Hardcopy post-adoption reports are no longer required. However, if adoptive families would prefer to continue sending post-adoption reports via post, or if they have physical items to send with the report, they can do so by posting the report to the following postal address:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child Support and Protection Officer
MOWSA
P.O.Box 1293,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
When sending post-adoption reports to Ethiopia in hardcopy, adoptive families must also email the ACA at ICA.Ethiopia@dss.gov.au and the relevant State or Territory Central Authority(Opens in a new tab/window) where the adoption was facilitated to advise the report has been sent.
Privacy
The department collect personal and sensitive information by receiving post-adoption reports emailed to the ACA by adoptive families. Your personal information is protected by law and will be handled by the department in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. The department collects this information to disclose it on behalf of adoptive families to the Ethiopian Government contact for the purposes of meeting Ethiopian Government post-adoption reporting requirements. By emailing post-adoption reports to the ACA, you agree to this personal and sensitive information being collected in this way and disclosed for this purpose.
Information on the department’s Privacy Policy, including how individuals may access information that is held about them and seek the correction of such information, and about how individuals may complain about a breach of the Australia Privacy Principles, and how the department will deal with such a complaint, is located at Privacy Policy.
More information
If you have any questions or concerns about this new process, you should contact your relevant State or Territory Central Authority(Opens in a new tab/window).
Alternatively, you can write to the ACA at ICA.Ethiopia@dss.gov.au.
Support services for Ethiopian adoptees and their families
If Ethiopian adoptees or adoptive families of Ethiopian adoptees are seeking information, documentation or support services, they are encouraged to contact MOWSA. This includes all enquiries relating to post-adoption support, access to adoption documentation and support with search for origins. Enquiries should be directed to:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child right protection officer, MOWSA
Email: BantiderGetachew@gmail.com
Phone number: +25 1 933 199 542
Post-adoption exploring and searching
The ACA, and state and territory central authorities recognise the importance for many adoptees and adoptive families, of post-adoption exploring and searching to learn about origins and contact birth families.
It is up to adoptees and adoptive families to decide how they wish to undertake post-adoption exploration. The Intercountry Adoption Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) website provides some information about post-adoption support.
While post-adoption searching can be a fulfilling and positive experience, adoptees and adoptive families undertaking searching need to be sensitive and appropriate in doing so. Not all Ethiopians are open about adoption or understand the effect or purpose of adoption in the same way as Australians. This means contacting a birth family, if located, can potentially have serious consequences. It is important to respect and understand that birth families may have preferences about how, or whether, they are contacted.
State and Territory Central Authorities(Opens in a new tab/window) can provide further guidance on cultural sensitivities in post-adoption searching, as well as general information on post-adoption exploring and searching.
In addition, there is a range of information and support available for post-adoption exploring and searching available via the following organisations:
- InterCountry Adoptee Voices(Opens in a new tab/window)
- International Social Services Australia(Opens in a new tab/window)
- Intercountry Adoptee and Family Support Service(Opens in a new tab/window).
Access to adoption files
For access to adoption files, please start by contacting the State or Territory Central Authority(Opens in a new tab/window) through which the adoption was facilitated.
In addition, adoptees and/or adoptive families may wish to contact the Ethiopian Government for access to files held by MOWSA. Enquiries relating to access to adoption files and information should be directed to:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child right protection officer, MOWSA
Email: BantiderGetachew@gmail.com
Phone: +25 1 933 199 542
Please note: the ACA does not keep a copy of the post-adoption reports it receives. We do record what post adoption reports are received and forwarded to the Ethiopian Government.
Post-adoption support services
Post-adoption support includes information, resources and a range of services such as counselling, workshops and support groups. Adoptive families and adoptees may find value in seeking support and in sharing their experiences with others, either through professional post adoption support services, or through less formal means such as social networks.
Details for some providers and support services can be found on the Key contacts and support(Opens in a new tab/window) page on the Intercountry Adoption Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) website.
Adoptees and adoptive families may also be interested in contacting the Intercountry Adoptee and Family Support Service(Opens in a new tab/window) (ICAFSS), which provides free, nation-wide counselling, information and support services to intercountry adoptees and their families. The ICAFSS can be contacted on 1800 422 377 or via email at icafss@rasa.org.au.