Only those people who are listed on the Prospective Adopters Register are eligible to adopt a child. The Prospective Adopters Register lists all people who have expressed an interest in adoption and who have satisfied the requirements under the Adoption Act 1988 (SA). To determine whether an applicant is eligible to be listed on the Prospective Adopters Register, the Department for Child Protection must have an assessment report undertaken which outlines the suitability of the applicant to adopt a child [see Adoption (General) Regulations 2018 (SA) reg 10]. The assessment report must take into account a number of factors, including the parenting skills of the applicant, whether the applicant has care of any other child, the applicant's financial position, and the physical and mental health of the applicant [see reg 10(4) for full list of factors].

If, after considering the assessment report, the Department for Child Protection is satisfied that the applicant(s) is a suitable person to adopt a child, they will be listed on the Prospective Adopters Register [see reg 11(2)]. The Department must determine an application to be listed on the register within 18 months of it being lodged [see reg 11(1)].

A person dissatisfied with a decision of the Department for Child Protection in relation to registration matters (including assessment reports) may apply to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal SACAT for a review of the decision within 30 days of receiving the decision [see reg 17].

Only couples in a qualifying relationship eligible to adopt

To qualify as prospective adoptive parents a couple must be in a qualifying relationship (i.e. either married or de facto and either heterosexual or same sex) and have lived together continuously for at least five years.

A relationship of less than five years may be considered if the Court is satisfied that special circumstances exist [Adoption Act 1988 (SA) s 12]. Normally, the Chief Executive cannot select a person from the Adoption Register unless they have been living with another in a qualifying relationship for a continuous period of at least 3 years [Adoption (General) Regulations 2018 (SA) reg 19(3)(c)].

Circumstances under which only one person may adopt

Adoption orders in favour of one person can only be made in the following circumstances [s 12(3)]:

Who cannot adopt

Unless there are particular circumstances relating to the child to be placed and where those needs can be best met by other applicants, a person will not be considered as a suitable applicant for adoption if she or he:

It is a minimum requirement that a prospective parent be either an Australian permanent resident or citizen (in the case of joint applicants at least one of the applicants must be an Australian citizen).

A prospective parent must also be living in and domiciled in South Australia.

[see Adoption (General) Regulations 2018 (SA) reg 9]

See the Department for Child Protection - Adopting a Local Child website for more information on the process of adopting a local child within South Australia.