South Australian Repealed Regulations

This legislation has been repealed.

ADOPTION REGULATIONS 1989 - REG 9

9—Assessment report

        (1)         The Chief Executive must cause an assessment report to be prepared with respect to an application for registration.

        (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 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 of any children of the applicant and other close relatives of the applicant to adoption of a child by the applicant;

            (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;

            (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).