Released 19/12/2018
The ACT Government is taking the next step in its commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people in out of home care with the release of a discussion paper on changes to provisions for dispensing with parental consent to adoption.
The ACT Government is committed to providing children and young people in out of home care with the opportunity to live in a permanent, loving and stable environment.
This release follows earlier work by the Domestic Adoption Taskforce, which reviewed the current adoption process, and supports A Step Up for Our Kids – the ACT Government’s five year reform strategy for out of home care.
The discussion paper outlines issues related to dispensing with consent, which is a legal mechanism to determine that the consent of a parent or guardian is not required to proceed with an adoption.
The paper aims to assist interested community members to contribute to the ACT Government’s exploration of provisions to dispense with consent in the domestic adoption process. The ACT Government would like to hear from children, young people, families and professionals in two key areas:
- Experiences of dispensing with consent as part of the adoption process, including where the child is involved in child protection.
- Identifying changes to existing grounds for dispensing with consent to better reflect contemporary practices.
The paper and details on providing feedback can be found at Community Services website.
The consultation period begins today and closes on Thursday, 28 February 2019.
- Statement ends -
Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases
Media Contacts
| Name | Phone | Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
Caitlin Cook |
(02) 6207 8731 |
0434 702 827 |