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About Adoption
The 1974 World Population Conference's World Population Plan of Action called for making child
adoption easier so that involuntary infertile and sub-fecund couples might have the family size
they wished. The idea that adoption is a way to mimic biological motherhood for couples who
would otherwise be unable to have children was implicit in this recommendation.
More than three decades later, the general consensus is that, in countries
where marriages are increasingly delayed, childbearing is postponed, and
biological childlessness is on the rise, an increasing number of people are
turning to alternate forms of parenthood, such as adoption. The number of
children in foster care or in institutions exceeds the number of children being
adopted. This is because the children in these institutions are older and/or have health
issues and therefore, it is harder to place among prospective adoptive parents.
The New Zealand government assists birth parents in finding
the suitable family for their child and encourages adoptive
parents to continue contact with the birth family and culture.
In New Zealand, the majority of adoptions are 'open adoptions.'
This signifies that the birth parents and adoptive parents are still in contact.
In many circumstances, birth parents remain involved in the lives of
their children if everyone agrees that this is the best option.
A contact agreement specifies the nature of the relationship.
Fostering or permanent guardianship are alternatives to adonder the Care of
Children Act, the birth parents might petition for you to have guardianship of
the child through a parenting order. This will make you legally responsible for
the child's day-to-day care.
