Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Nov 1998

Vol. 157 No. 5

Adjournment Matter. - Adoption Services.

Ms O'Meara

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment which was brought to my attention by a report in The Irish Times last Saturday. It was reported that the Eastern Health Board may disband the units which assess applicants for foreign adoptions and which recruit and train foster parents in the greater Dublin area. This report caused me considerable concern.

I am not in the Eastern Health Board area but, like many others, I have been aware for some time of problems in that region in regard to foreign adoptions. Media attention has focused in the past two weeks on the procedures used by the Eastern Health Board to assess applicants for foreign adoption. I have corresponded with the Minister on this matter. There appears to be a tendency around the country to treat applicants for foreign adoption in a negative way.

I am bringing this matter to the Minister of State's attention. I will not speak at any great length on it because I am anxious to hear his response. I know he has initiated a review in his Department, which I welcome. I also welcome the considerable amount of debate on the issue of foreign adoption.

I am aware — because I am interested in the matter — that there has been a considerable change in opinion in the UK, for example, on the issue of adoption, including foreign adoptions. It would be clear to any parent or potential parent with common sense that leaving a child in long-term institutional care must be a worse prospect than offering that child a loving home, whether it is a foreign child or a child in long-term institutional care in this country. It is time to look very carefully at this matter and I welcome the Minister of State's attitude. It is time to review our attitude to foreign adoption and adoption generally.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. Fahey)

The Adoption Act, 1991, imposed a statutory duty on health boards to carry out, as soon as practicable, assessments for foreign adoptions. Under the Act, a health board may carry out assessments directly or it may engage a registered adoption society to carry out assessments on its behalf. The manner in which a health board chooses to meet its statutory responsibility and, where it carries out assessments directly, whether it chooses to dedicate specific staff to the area or whether it also allocates staff other responsibilities, is entirely a matter for the health board concerned.

I understand that the media reports to which the Senator is referring relate to an internal review of the Eastern Health Board's child care services which sets out various options for the delivery of these services in the most effective and efficient manner. The review has been completed and submitted to the board for decision at the end of the month.

Regarding the issue of foreign adoption assessments generally, I would like to take this opportunity to point out to the House that I have made arrangements to commission an independent consultancy to review the foreign adoption assessment procedures in the eight health boards with the aim of ensuring that an efficient and standardised assessment procedure, which accords with best practice in the field, operates across the country while, at the same time, having regard to the priority that must be attached to other areas of the child care services.

The terms of reference of the consultancy are first, to review the current assessment procedures in health boards in consultation with relevant interests — this review should encompass both social work practice and service management; second, to provide an overview of the current assessment procedures in health boards which identifies any particular issues which need to be addressed; third, to propose a standardised framework for the carrying out of future assessments which accords with best practice in the field and delivers the service in the most efficient and sensitive manner possible — within this standardised framework, health boards should be able to exercise a degree of flexibility in the management of the service and in the detail of its delivery so that they can adapt it to the particular circumstances prevailing in their functional area; fourth, to estimate the resource implications, on current application rates for assessment, of this proposed standardised framework — this estimate is to include staffing levels, management and administrative requirements, etc., and the feasibility of introducing charges for assessments should also be examined in this context; and fifth, to highlight any areas in which legislative or administrative change would improve the quality of the assessment process.

It is expected to sign the contract and commence the consultancy before the end of the month.

The Seanad adjourned at 4 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 November 1998.