Queensland Consolidated Acts

ADOPTION ACT 2009 - SECT 23

23 Parents to be given prescribed information

(1) The chief executive must give each of the child’s parents a document containing information about the following matters (the
"prescribed information" )—

(a) options other than adoption for the child’s long-term care;

(b) support (financial and otherwise) that may be available to the parent whether or not adoption of the child proceeds;

(c) possible psychological effects for the parent, both short and long-term, of consenting to the adoption;

(d) possible psychological effects for the child, both short and long-term, of being adopted;

(e) how and when the parent’s consent to the adoption may be revoked;

(f) how the parent may give the chief executive the parent’s preferences relating to the child’s adoption including, for example, preferences about—

(i) the child’s religious upbringing; or

(ii) the characteristics of the child’s adoptive parents and adoptive family; or

(iii) the degree of openness in the adoption;

(g) the adoption process under this Act, including—

(i) the consents required for an adoption; and

(ii) the process for recruiting, assessing and selecting prospective adoptive parents; and

(iii) the chief executive’s functions and powers relating to the child’s adoption; and

(iv) the role of the Childrens Court;

(h) the legal effect of adoption;

(i) the rights and responsibilities of the parties to an adoption, including those relating to—

(i) adoption plans; and

(ii) access to information about, and contact with, other parties to an adoption throughout the life of the adopted person;

(j) the requirement for pre-consent counselling and how it will be arranged;

(k) if the child to be adopted is an Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander—

(i) options other than adoption for the child’s long-term care in accordance with Aboriginal tradition or Island custom; and

(ii) the importance of the child being cared for in a way that—

(A) helps the child to develop and maintain a connection with the child’s Aboriginal tradition or Island custom; and

(B) preserves and enhances the child’s sense of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identity.

(2) The chief executive must arrange for the prescribed information to be explained to the parent.