The long road to adoption

September 10, 2024

David is a young person in CatholicCare’s foster care program and we have been working with his family for over five years. The family have had their ups and downs, as most families do, and CatholicCare has walked alongside the family, as they have consistently and patiently cared for David.

Three years ago, with the support of CatholicCare, David’s foster family made the decision to move toward adoption to ensure David would always be part of their family. Despite the commitment and enthusiasm of all involved, the string of COVID-19 lockdowns led to excessive delays in what is already a considerably lengthy administrative and legal process.

The family never gave up on the adoption goal and our foster care team shepherded them through the gruelling process. David’s disability posed an additional complexity as the Court needed assurance that David understood what adoption was and that he was able to submit informed views to the Court. To achieve this, David’s Case Manager developed a mini adoption curriculum complete with fun quizzes to ensure that David knew exactly what to expect and what adoption was.

Obtaining the consent and support of David’s biological family was also challenging but David’s Case Manager worked diligently to ensure that the views of his biological family were considered and to assure David’s birth mother that contemporary open adoption is very different to what it was twenty years ago. The process also saw David reconnect with his extended family, which was a tremendous achievement given they had not been present in his life for many years.

Regular case management duties don’t stop when a Case Manager is tasked with an adoption matter. The team had their hands full ensuring the family had all the required supports in place long into the future so that they would be supported post-adoption. 

CatholicCare then worked tirelessly to draft the required court documents alongside the Department of Communities & Justice, support workers, assessors and David’s family to manage the court process until happily this year David’s adoption was at long last approved by the Court.

In addition to his Mum and Dad, David wanted one other person to be present to celebrate the special day, his CatholicCare Case Manager.

Many children and young people in our community have experienced hardship and are unable to live with their families.

We are committed to making a positive change in the lives of children and young people. We provide care and support services, partnering with families to ensure each child has a stable and loving home in which they can thrive and have hope for the future. Through our foster care program, CatholicCare connects a child with carers who are able to provide a home and support the child’s everyday needs with kindness and care, supported by our expert team of Case Workers and a network of therapy and counselling experts to build trust, heal the pain and, where possible, support restoration to family.

Foster care can be provided on a short or long-term basis, depending on the needs of the individual child. We celebrate and support the successful transition of our young people in long-term foster care to independence as they leave care, with many confident that their foster carer will become their support through life. We provide assessment, training, and support for carers throughout their journey with a child. If this is something you might like to explore you can find out more here.