Data are collected annually. Aggregate data are provided by state and territory departments and the Department of Home Affairs on all children placed for adoption and those who had a finalised adoption order in Australia during the financial year.

Collected data include:

  • characteristics of adopted children, their parents and their adoptive families
  • associated administrative processes, including applications and vetoes for contact and information exchange, type of authority responsible for the adoption, types of consent provided, median time for an intercountry adoption, status of adoption order at 30 June and number of adoption-specific visas issued
  • number of requests for information
  • number of contact and information vetoes lodged by parties to the adoption.

Data are published by the AIHW in the annual Adoptions Australia reports, in online data visuals, and in aggregate data tables.

Collection details

Temporal coverage

from 1 July 1990 to 30 June 2018

Geographical coverage

National and state and territory

Data availability

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

Data scope

Data related to children placed with adoptive families during the financial year and those who had an adoption order finalised during the financial year.
Additional data are also collected on adoption specific visas issued during the 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 2017–18 DSS

Adoptions Australia 2017–18 DQS

External links and information 

Adoptions Australia

Adoptions reports

Adoptions Australia data visualisations

Contact

adoptions@aihw.gov.au