Data are collected annually. Aggregate data are provided by state and territory departments and by the Department of Home Affairs. Information is collected on all children placed for adoption and those who had a finalised adoption order in Australia during a financial year. Collected data include characteristics of adopted children, their parents and their adoptive families. Data are also collected on associated administrative processes including applications and vetoes for contact and information exchange, the type of authority responsible for the adoption, the types of consent provided for the adoption, the median time for intercountry adoption processes, the status of adoption orders at 30 June, and the number of adoption specific visas issued. Data are published by the AIHW in the annual Adoptions Australia report series, in online data visualisations, factsheets and in aggregate data tables.

Collection details

Temporal coverage

from 1/7/1990

Geographical coverage

National and State

Data availability

  • Publications;
  • Data cubes;
  • Summary tables published in electronic form;
  • Unit records are not available

Data scope

Data related to children placed with adoptive families during a financial year and those who had an adoption order finalised during a financial year. Additional data are also collected on adoption specific visas issued during a financial year (these data may relate to adoptions that occurred in previous years).

Methodology

Admin data

Metadata information and data quality statement DQS

Adoptions Australia 2018–19 data set specifications

Adoptions Australia 2018–19 data quality statement

External links and information 

Adoptions

Adoptions reports

Adoptions data visualisations

Contact

[email protected]