Pre-placement contact by prospective adoptive parents

About pre-placement contact 

Pre-placement contact refers to any form of contact (including email, telephone and face-to-face) prior to an adoption being finalised between a prospective adoptive parent (who has formally expressed interest in adoption) and: 

• a child who is or may be in need of intercountry adoption 
• an individual or body responsible for caring for children who may need adoption 
• an authority in another country involved in adoption. 

Requirements of the Hague Convention 

Australian Central Authorities only support pre-placement contact after confirmation from the country of origin and the relevant state or territory central authority that such contact is appropriate. Under the Hague Convention(Opens in a new tab/window), prospective adoptive parents generally should not engage in pre-placement contact. This is because pre-placement contact may: 

• be viewed as placing inappropriate pressure on, or seeking to influence, the decision of the governments and agencies of other countries 
• affect the decision of authorities in other countries to honour the placement of the child if an allocation has already been made 
• jeopardise the placement prospects for a child 
• jeopardise the transparency or future of Australia’s intercountry adoption program with the country of origin.

Under the Hague Convention, pre-placement contact may be appropriate in limited circumstances after a placement proposal has been accepted, including where: 

• the child has expressed their consent, wishes or opinions for pre-placement contact to occur 
• the state or territory central authority or country of origin determines that contact with prospective adoptive parents is desirable 
• contact with prospective adoptive parents is unavoidable 
• the authority of the country of origin requests prospective adoptive parents engage in pre placement contact 
• it is an intercountry relative (Opens in a new tab/window)or known child(Opens in a new tab/window) adoption. 

General advice for prospective adoptive parents 

Before making pre-placement contact of any type, prospective adoptive parents should seek advice from their State or Territory Central Authority(Opens in a new tab/window). 

Where the child’s country of origin has different processes and procedures, it is important for prospective adoptive parents to exercise caution and seek advice from their local central authority. 

Advice for prospective adoptive parents travelling to countries of origin 

Prospective adoptive parents may travel to countries of origin as part of an adoption process or for reasons unrelated to adoption. 

The appropriate time for prospective adoptive parents to travel as part of the adoption process varies between country programs. The state or territory central authority will advise when this type of travel is required, dates for travel and for how long, as well as whether pre-placement contact is appropriate during the travel period. 

Prospective adoptive parents travelling for reasons unrelated to the adoption process (for example, to gain a greater understanding of a country from which they seek to adopt) must not have any contact with individuals or organisations that have care of children who may be placed with an Australian family for intercountry adoption. This is particularly important for prospective adoptive parents travelling to a country in which they have a current adoption application.