South Australian Consolidated Regulations South Australian Consolidated Regulations (1) The Chief
Executive must cause an assessment report to be prepared with respect to an
application for registration.
(1a) However, an
assessment report need not be prepared if—
(a) the
applicant is not resident in this State while the assessment is being carried
out; or
(b) in
the opinion of the Chief Executive, the assessment cannot be completed due
to—
(i)
the inability to adequately assess the applicant in his
or her usual home environment; or
(ii)
the failure of the applicant to participate in workshops,
seminars or interviews or to cooperate in the assessment process.
(2) The assessment
report must contain an assessment of the suitability of the applicant to adopt
a child of the kind in relation to which registration is sought and the
capacity of the applicant to care adequately for such a child.
(3) An assessment
report must be prepared having regard to the following factors:
(a) the
parenting skills or potential parenting skills of the applicant;
(b) the
capacity of the applicant to provide, throughout the child's childhood, the
standard of care necessary to safeguard and promote the physical, intellectual
and emotional welfare of a child of the kind in relation to which registration
is sought;
(c) if
the applicant has the care of any other child—the effect that may have
on the welfare of an adopted child or on the applicant's ability to care for
an adopted child;
(d) the
emotional warmth, maturity and stability of the applicant;
(e) the
physical and mental health of the applicant;
(f) the
capacity of the applicant to deal with difficult or stressful situations;
(g) in
the case of a joint application—the length and quality of the
relationship between the applicants;
(h) the
economic position and financial management skills of the applicant;
(i)
the criminal record (if any) of the applicant;
(j) the
nature of the childhood experiences of the applicant;
(k) if
the applicant is infertile—the attitude of the applicant to that
infertility or, in the case of a joint application, the attitude of each
applicant to that infertility;
(l) the
attitude of the applicant to children and in particular to the discipline of
children;
(m) the
attitude of the applicant to the status of an adopted child, to the birth
parents of an adopted child and to an adopted child's access to information
about the child's origin;
(n) the
attitude to adoption of a child by the applicant of—
(i)
any children of the applicant; and
(ii)
any other parent or guardian of any children of the
applicant; and
(iii)
any other person (who is a relative of the applicant, a
member of the applicant's household or a close acquaintance of the applicant)
with whom the child, if adopted by the applicant, would be likely to come into
regular contact;
(o) the
motivation of the applicant to adopt a child;
(p) if
the applicant has expressed an interest in adopting a child with special
needs—the capacity of the applicant to provide the standard of care
required to fulfil the needs of such a child throughout the child's childhood
and, if it is likely to be necessary because of the child's special needs,
into adulthood;
(q) if
the applicant has expressed an interest in adopting a child of a particular
racial origin—the applicant's understanding of, and interest in, people
of that racial origin and the applicant's attitude towards the retention by
such a child of his or her cultural heritage.
(4) A person preparing
an assessment report may have regard to any other factor that the person
considers relevant in the particular circumstances.
(5) The Chief
Executive may rely on an assessment report prepared by an adoption agency in
relation to an application if satisfied that the agency, in preparing that
assessment report, has complied with the requirements of this regulation (and
in such a case the Chief Executive is not obliged to cause any other
assessment report to be prepared in relation to the application).