Adoption in Australia: How does NSW place?

FACTS ON CHILDREN IN OUT-OF-HOME CARE ACROSS AUSTRALIA:

* Out-of-home care (OOHC) is overnight care for children aged 0-17

* There were 46,448 children in OOHC nationwide as at June 30, 2016

* Nearly 40 per cent of those, 17,800 children, are in NSW

* Nationally, most children in OOHC are living in relative/kinship care (49 per cent) or foster care (39 per cent)

* Almost 31,000 of children in OOHC had been in that situation for two or more years

WHEN DOES ADOPTION BECOME AN OPTION?

* Safely returning and enabling a child to live with their birth parents, family or former guardian is policy priority

* If this is not achieved, alternative long-term care arrangements are made including known carer adoption

* In 2015-16, just 70 known carer adoption orders were finalised in Australia - the majority in NSW

WHY DOES IT DIFFER BETWEEN STATES AND TERRITORIES?

* State and territory governments are responsible for statutory child protection for those aged under 18

* The threshold for intervention varies and can lead to differences in the response to reports of concern

* NSW has repeatedly reformed OOHC policy and has more than 2500 guardians - four times the number in Victoria

WHAT'S NEW FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS IN NSW?

* A means-tested adoption allowance to progress foster care to permanency

* The government will invest $90 million over four years with $24 million targeted at raising the adoption rate

* Adoptive parents will be paid from $12,000 to $37,000 a year depending on the child's age and needs.

(Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Child protection Australia 2015-16 report)