Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 February 2005
136 Mr. Perry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the avenues open to a person (details supplied) in County Sligo to adopt children from countries affected by the tsunami disaster; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5297/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraInter-country adoption is governed by the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Inter-country Adoption, which Ireland has signed. Anyone who wishes to adopt abroad is required to go through an assessment process to determine their eligibility and suitability to adopt. This assessment is carried out by the Health Service Executive, and persons who wish to consider adopting abroad should contact the local office.
As regards children affected by the tsunami disaster, the urgent priority in the countries affected will be to address the children's trauma and to meet their immediate psychological and physical needs. It will then be necessary to identify whether children separated from their families are in fact orphans. If that is the case, the first choice would be to place the children with their extended families or to find appropriate fostering or adoption placements in their native countries. Only after all of these possibilities have been exhausted would the authorities consider inter-country adoption. In the circumstances, it will be many months before the countries affected identify whether, and to what extent, there is a need to place children abroad.
