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IAA are committed to providing information and support to families who are engaged in intercountry adoption. This page is being updated, and will provide initial answers to some frequently asked questions.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D, on return from her visit to Vietnam, today said that:
“Since coming into office I have prioritised the development of a closer working relationship with the Vietnamese authorities on adoption. I know that this is an issue of enormous interest to prospective adopters from Ireland. My visit to Hanoi over recent days provided the opportunity for direct, personal enagagement with Vietnamese conterparts and was very positive in furthering cooperation between our two countries on intercountry adoption.”
The Minister was accompanied by officials from her Department and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, including Mr Geoffrey Shannon, Chairman of the Adoption Authority. She had meetings with a range of Vietnamese Government representatives, including the Minister for Justice Mr Ha Hung Cuong, and other organisations based in Hanoi.
The Minister said that:
“I heard at first hand details of the programme of work that the Vietnamese Government has undertaken to complete the ratification of Hague and improve their systems for adoption within the country. This process will see the Hague Convention enter into force in Vietnam on 1 February next and this provides a basis on which to renew cooperation between Ireland and Vietnam on adoption.
The Vietnamese Minister for Justice, Mr Ha Hung Cuong, asked me to convey to Irish families that “Vietnam is ready to implement the Hague Convention” and that “it is the Vietnamese Government’s desire to co-operate with Ireland in respect of intercountry adoption of children for whom a suitable family cannot be found in Vietnam.”
Following on from the meetings of recent days a number of further initiatives will take place to further strengthen cooperation:
- The two Central Authorities for Adoption (the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Department of Adoption in the Vietnamese Minsistry of Justice) will work jointly on administrative arrangements between the two countries to oversee adoptions. This will include a planned visit to Ireland by the Director General of the Vietnamese Department of Adoption, Mr Nguyen van Binh.
- The Adoption Authority of Ireland will complete the accreditation of one or more adoption agencies to work in Vietnam in order to assist Irish couples and liaise with the Vietnamese Central Authority. The Adoption Authority of Ireland has advised Minister Fitzgerald that it expects to complete this accreditation process by 1 February, following which the Vietnamese authorities will be advised of the outcome.
- Minister Fitzgerald invited Mr Ha Hung Cuong, the Vietnamese Minister for Justice, to Ireland and Mr Ha Hung Cuong accepted this invitation. The visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen relations between the two countries on adoption and support cooperation in a range of other areas of mutual interest.
The Minister paid tribute to the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam for their ongoing work in fostering a close working relationship with the Vietnamese adoption authorities which formed the basis of the successful visit. The Minister said that:
”The Vietnamese Government was very positive in saying that Irish families have provided loving homes for many Vietnamese children already and that, following the entry into force of the Hague Convention, they look forward to renewing their relationship with Ireland. Some 800 Vietnamese children have in the past been adopted by Irish families. I am confident that the work underway in Vietnam and the very close cooperation between our two countries, which has been greatly strengthened with this visit, will ensure the intercountry adoption of Vietnamese children will involve Irish families, where it is in the best interests of those children to be adopted abroad.
It is important that all adoptions take place within a child protection framework that operates in the best interests of children. The commitment of Vietnam and Ireland to jointly working together within the Hague framework will strengthen protections for children and facilitate strong cooperation between the two countries on inter country adoption.”
Post Adoptive? New Year's Resolution to make a Lifebook for your child(ren)? Then sign-up to participate in this practical but fun workshop.
In adoption, initiating and/or maintaining contact with birth family will always have many complexities and challenges. This workshop will explore the issues to be considered from the child’s, the adoptive parents’ and the birth parents’ point of view.
23 February - Contact with Birth Families- Issues to Consider 10 March – Lifebook – An Interactive Workshop 31 March – Sole Adopters Spring Social Network 1 April – Easter Egg Hunt All events are for IAA Members except where otherwise stated. The calendar of events for 2012 is updated as events are scheduled. Please check [...]
The following events have already taken place in 2011: Sole Adopters Network – Dublin – 28th January Practical Parenting – Dublin – 26th February Sole Adopters Q&A – Portlaoise – 26th March Nutrition for the Adopted Child – Dublin – 2nd April Easter Egg Hunt, Donadea Forest Park, Kildare – 16th April Introduction to Intercountry [...]
South Africa: Hague Convention state, but specifically informed the AAI in mid-2011 that it would NOT accept packs from Ireland at that time. The NCA has been asked for on update on their position. Irish applicants should not attempt to effect a private (non-Hague Convention) adoption in South Africa. Refer to country specific advisories. India: [...]
THERE IS no need for anyone to be concerned about inter-country adoptions into Ireland that took place before the Hague Convention was signed, the Minister for Children has told the Dáil. Frances Fitzgerald acknowledged the difference in language used “pre-Hague and post-Hague”. But she stressed “it is extremely important that there is no implication that [...]
Both Ireland and India are signatories to the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Article 2 of the Convention states that the Convention SHALL apply to all intercountry adoptions between two contracting States. On 1 July 2011, the AAI was notified by the Indian National Central Authority [...]
The numbers of Irish people applying for permission to adopt a child from abroad have fallen, according to the Health Service Executive. A spokeswoman said improved fertility treatments meant women had a greater chance of getting pregnant and giving birth. The other serious factor, of course, is the number of people who are unemployed or [...]
The Vietnamese authorities are examining a suggested scheme of administrative arrangements to be established between Ireland and Vietnam, under the terms of the 1993 Hague Convention, for the resumption of intercountry adoption between the two States. The scheme was prepared and submitted to the Vietnamese authorities by the Adoption Authority of Ireland during the course [...]
Ireland ratified the 1993 Hague Convention through the enactment of the Adoption Act on 1 November 2010. The Hague Convention sets out a robust framework for regulating intercountry adoption on a global basis. Recent events in Mexico underline the importance of the Convention in providing a framework to regulate intercountry adoption. In relation to Mexico, [...]
Dail Debate 18 January 2012 Deputy Pat Breen: I welcome the opportunity to raise the important issue of intercountry adoptions. I commend the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on the excellent job she has done since taking over her portfolio. She has rightly placed the welfare of our children at the heart of [...]
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D, on return from her visit to Vietnam, today said that: “Since coming into office I have prioritised the development of a closer working relationship with the Vietnamese authorities on adoption. I know that this is an issue of enormous interest to prospective adopters from Ireland. [...]
Background: Mexico has become increasingly popular as a country to be considered for intercountry adoption in recent years. It ratified the Hague Convention in 1995. However, the former Adoption Board and the AAI have had occasion to raise a number of concerns with diplomatic and official Mexican authorities, and has urged caution on a [...]
A delegation from the AAI met with their counterparts in the Mexican National Central Authority in Mexico City on 9th December 2011. Items discussed included -the adoption process in Mexico -the accreditation process in Mexico for accredited bodies -Mexico and Ireland working together within the Hague Convention The Mexican authorities sought details of applications for [...]
Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, is meeting Mr. Ha Hung Cuong, Vietnamese Minister for Justice, of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam later this week and will carry out a series of engagements in relation to intercountry adoption between Ireland and Vietnam. Minister Fitzgerald said “I have accepted an invitation from Mr [...]
From the Hague Convention website (www.hcch.net)… Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Declaration by MEXICO Articles: 6,17,21,22,28,34 I. In connection with Article 6, paragraph 2, and Article 22, paragraph 2, the Systems for Integral Family Development in each of the following federal units shall act as [...]
A delegation from the AAI will visit Vietnam in January 2012 to commence discussions on possible administration arrangements for inter country adoption between Ireland and Vietnam as provided for by Article 39(2) of the 1993 Hague Convention and Section 72 of the Adoption Act 2010.
A delegation from the Department of Children & Youth Affairs and the Adoption Authority of Ireland met with officials of the Ministry of Education & Science of the Russian Federation in Moscow on 13th and 14th December 2011. The visit took place within the context of preliminary talks on the possibility of agreeing [...]
The Adoption Authority of Ireland commenced a review of the adoption law(s) of the following countries on the dates indicated - - Kazakhstan 12 October 2011 - Panama 28 November 2011 - Turkey 30 November 2011 - Russian Federation (non-Hague) 16 December 2011 - Ethiopia (non-Hague) 19 December 2011 The general process for the review [...]
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