End adoption, group urges

A BITTER clash over whether adoption can be used to tackle the soaring rates of children in child protection is heating up as a major Government inquiry starts in Canberra.

The Federal Government is investigating any “barriers” to local adoption as it seeks to respond to a spike of children in protection, with one in every 32 kids — more than 168,000 — in the system and about 57,200 in out-of-home care.

Adoptees and adoptee rights groups are warning against using adoption to tackle the crisis, arguing it is a “fundamental breach of human rights” and any adoption system is “antiquated and draconian”.

Australian Adoptee Rights Action Group founder Catherine Lynch told the inquiry adoption should be eliminated unless the person was older than 18 and consented to being adopted.

Dr Lynch, a former adoptee, said: “The negligence of governments in providing a professional and caring child welfare system, resulting in multiple placements for some children, does not justify the use of an antiquated and draconian adoption system as some kind of escape route.”

Adopt Change chief executive Renée Carter said reform must be considered to help tackle the problem of children lingering in the system and being sent from home to home.

Ms Carter said any reform needed to be “directly linked” to the number of children in care and the numbers given multiple placements.

The group says about 40 per cent were placed in two or more homes in two years, with some having more than 10 moves.

“It’s important to clarify (adoption) is not for all children in out-of-home care, it just needs to be an option that’s accessible for them where it’s appropriate,” she said.

Only 246 Australian children were adopted last year, down from 556 in 1993.