New South Wales Consolidated Acts

ADOPTION ACT 2000 - SECT 35

35 Aboriginal child placement principles

(1) General principle It is a principle to be applied in the administration of this Act that Aboriginal people should be given the opportunity to participate with as much self-determination as possible in decisions relating to the placement for adoption of Aboriginal children (which is a concept that is absent in customary Aboriginal child care arrangements).

(2) The general order for placement The Aboriginal child placement principles are as follows--

(a) The first preference for placement of an Aboriginal child is for the child to be placed for adoption with a prospective adoptive parent or parents belonging to the Aboriginal community, or one of the communities, to which the birth parent or birth parents of the child belongs.

(b) If it is not practicable or in the best interests of the child for the child to be placed in accordance with paragraph (a), the child is to be placed with a prospective adoptive parent or parents from another Aboriginal community.

(c) If it is not practicable or in the best interests of the child for the child to be placed in accordance with paragraph (a) or (b), the child is to be placed with a non-Aboriginal prospective adoptive parent or parents.

(3) Placement of child with person who is not Aboriginal An Aboriginal child is not to be placed with a non-Aboriginal prospective adoptive parent unless the Court is satisfied that the prospective adoptive parent--

(a) has the capacity to assist the child to develop a healthy and positive cultural identity, and

(b) has knowledge of or is willing to learn about, and teach the child about, the child's Aboriginal heritage and to foster links with that heritage in the child's upbringing, and

(c) has the capacity to help the child if the child encounters racism or discrimination in the wider community,

and that the Aboriginal child placement principles have been properly applied.

Note : Placement with a non-Aboriginal prospective adoptive parent requires an application to the Court for a preliminary hearing--see section 80.

(4) Child with one Aboriginal parent and one non-Aboriginal parent If a child has one Aboriginal parent and one non-Aboriginal parent, the child may be placed with the person with whom the best interests of the child will be served having regard to the objects of this Act.

(5) If a child to whom subsection (4) applies--

(a) is placed with a person who is not within an Aboriginal family or community, an adoption plan must provide for the child to have the opportunity to develop an identity with the Aboriginal community to which the child belongs, or

(b) is placed with a person who is within an Aboriginal community, an adoption plan must provide for the child to have the opportunity to develop an identity with the non-Aboriginal community to which the child belongs.