Barnardos is the leading adoption agency in the county
Of the total 53 adoptions by carers in the nation in 2009-2010, Barnardos organised 15 and last year, we organised 19.
The number of open adoptions is growing because of the good legislation in NSW. In NSW we have excellent legislation which allows for the open adoption of children who have been permanently removed from their natural parents because of abuse and neglect.
This legislation means these children can be adopted by their foster carers with whom they have a strong relationship and connection. It is extremely important that these children will also remain in contact with their natural family - maybe their parents or sometimes with their grandparents. This is undertaken with an order from the Supreme Court for contact.
A lot of the parents of these children have had very sad, traumatised lives of violence and addiction and while they cannot rear their own children, it is vital their children know where they came from.
In our current Annual Review, there is a mother and daughter who have recently gone through the adoption process and in this touching piece, they share with us how their lives and their hearts have been opened through the connection they have made.
There is a link to our Annual Review 2010-11 here. You will find Ingrid and Sophie’s story on page 20-21.
* Models used to protect privacy
