Adoption in South Australia

You'll need to apply through the DCP if you are considering adopting a child.

Read the eligibility criteria, procedures and costs for adopting a child from overseas or locally as they will vary.

It's illegal to arrange your own adoption.

Contact DCP Placement Services if you want to relinquish your child for adoption, Social workers there can help you through the process, as well as talk to you about alternatives such as:

• foster care
• placing your child with relatives
• getting more support for you to raise your child yourself.

You can access adoption information from the original adoption file. Certain relatives of the adopted person might be able to access this file. But you will need this information if you want to find a birth relative.

Searching for your birth parent or child

You can apply to DCP for information regarding your natural parent or child. DCP can authorise the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to issue pre-adoption birth certificates.

Adopted person over 18

You can apply for:

• original birth certificate
• birth certificate of the birth mother
• change of name or death certificate of either parent
• marriage certificate of the birth mother - if the birth father wasn't named on the original birth certificate, or if the father was named but the parents weren't married.

Birth parents of adopted children over 18

You can apply for:

• the adopted child's original birth certificate
• the child's post-adoptive birth certificate
• change of name certificate of child or death certificate of the child.

All applications for searches of marriage, change of name or death entries need to be lodged with a copy of the original birth certificate. This will be returned to you with the search results.

The birth father's name needs to be on the original birth certificate for him to access the record, or to access any records related to him.