The Adoption Authority of Ireland is currently recruiting three Professionally Qualified Social Workers. Click here for more information.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Thursday 12 March 2020.
For further details, please see the documents below:
If you would like a Word version of the application form, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with 'PQSW Competition' in the subject line.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland is currently recruiting three Professionally Qualified Social Workers. Click here for more information.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Thursday 12 March 2020.
For further details, please see the documents below:
If you would like a Word version of the application form, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with 'PQSW Competition' in the subject line.
WIAO: List of Upcoming Events
The intercountry adoption support group, the Western Intercountry Adoption Organisation, has kindly provided a list of events that they are aware of, that may be of interest to followers of our website.
1) Barnardos (Galway) - Different Parts of Me workshop (for teenagers): 20th Feb
2) Barnardos (Cork) - Different Part of Me workshop (for teenagers): 20th Feb
3) Barnardos (Donegal) - Parenting Skills for Adoptive Parents: 10th Mar
4) Barnardos (Galway) - Lets Think about adoption workshop (for 8-11 year olds, with parent): 16 April
http://www.barnardos.ie/learning-development/training/training-events-courses
5) Online - Peaceful Parent Summit: January 27th to February 9th to include speakers like Dr Dan Siegel, Dr Laura Markham, Bryan Post etc https://peacefulparentsummit.com/
6) Online - Happily Family: Jan 23rd to Jan 27th to include speakers like Dr Dan Siegel, Dr Laura Markham, Dr Tina Bryson etc.https://conference.happilyfamily.com/?utm_campaign=hf_conf_202001&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-broadcast&utm_content=announce_5&utm_term=registered%2F
7) RIAG Weekend away Saturday 29th Feb in Belfast, We are vertigo https://www.wearevertigo.com/, for teenagers and pre teens contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information.
8) PCPSI (Dublin)- Bessel van der Kolk Trauma, Attachment and Neuroscience: Embodied Self - Awareness and Self Regulation:17th &18th June https://pcpsi.ie/events/list/
9) Online - Free Webinar Introduction to NARM, Dr Laurence Heller: 27th Jan. https://www.facebook.com/events/professional-counselling-psychotherapy-seminars-ireland/free-webinar-introduction-to-narm-dr-laurence-heller/1566016330233359/
10) Trauma Summit (Belfast) - World Trauma experts return to Belfast 22nd - 23rd June, Bessel Van der Kolk, Dan Siegel, Peter Levine, etc. https://traumasummit.com/
11) RIAG Coffee and chats -
Dunboyne Castle 17th January 10.00am , contact Gill on 086 283 3694 or Deidre 087 2098816
Kilmacanogue - Avoca 31st January 10.00am – contact Jennifer 087 815 9562
Ennis - Auburn Lodge 31sth January 9.00pm – contact Regina 085761 7761
Galway Clayton Hotel 1st February 8.30pm – contact Regina 085 761 7761
Portlaosie – Killeshin hotel 19th February 10.00am - contact Anne Marie 087 981 5144
The Board of the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Authority's Research Subcommittee are delighted to announce the publication of the first in a series of short research reports.
The research report covers adoptions from January 1991 - September 2019.
Key Points:
- 4, 989 intercountry adoptions were approved between January 1991 and September 2019
- January 1991 - October 2010: 4382 intercountry adoptions from 33 countries.
- 83% of these children came from just 5 countries: Russia, Romania, Vietnam, China and Ethiopia.
- November 2010 - September 2019: 707 intercountry adoptions from 23 countries.
- 80% of these children came from just 5 countries: Russia, Vietnam, Ethiopia, USA and China.
- The report also shows the current ages of the adopted individuals:
- The vast majority of those adopted are currently aged 6 - 16
- There is a large number of adults in the 29 - 31 age bracket.
Dr Geoffrey Shannon, Chairman of the Adoption Authority, said:
"This is important and detailed research, showing the history of intercountry adoption on Ireland for almost 30 years, and will inform further research by the Authority".
Click here to access the report in full.
For more information on our research, please visit the research section of our website here, call 01-2309 300 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs invites written submissions from interested groups or individuals on the General Scheme of a Certain Institutional Burials (Authorised Interventions) Bill.
The Committee will consider any suitable written submissions and may decide to invite a number of contributors to public hearings, should it be considered necessary.
The closing date for receipt of submissions has been extended to Friday 24 January 2020.
Submissions should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For further details, including how to make a submission, please click here.
Closure of Cúnamh (formerly CPRSI) Adoption Agency
Please see link to Cúnamh website:
Due to the closure of Cúnamh, the agency’s files were transferred to the Adoption Authority of Ireland in mid-December 2019. These files include open information and trace cases and a waiting list for those requesting an information and tracing service.
It is the intention of the Adoption Authority to provide a service to anyone whose information was held by Cúnamh. The Authority will do so as soon as relevant procedures are in place. The Authority hopes to be in a position to contact persons whose cases are open and those on the waiting list in early 2020. New enquiries for those seeking a service related to the Cúnamh files can be made using the details below.
Adoption Authority of Ireland
Shelbourne House
Shelbourne Road,
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
D04 H6F6
Phone (from Ireland): 01 230 9300
Phone (from outside Ireland): +353 1 230 9300
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web site: aai.gov.ie
Press Release from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Published: 11 December 2019.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD, today announced her decision in relation to progressing the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016. This decision has been made following the Minister's recent period of briefings and consultations with Oireachtas members, the Collaborative Forum and stakeholder groups regarding four possible options on legislative ways forward.
Despite everyone involved making significant efforts to reach consensus on the issue of release of birth information, it has not proved possible to reach agreement, at this time. However, the Minister considers it prudent and necessary for other important issues to be progressed.
Accordingly, she intends to progress with an option which has received support from the majority of those recently consulted. This option provides for the following matters to be dealt with:
- Safeguarding of Records;
- The National Adoption Contact Preference Register to be put on a statutory footing; and
- Tracing for the purposes of reunion/contact.
The Minister said:
"After a period of intensive briefings and consultations I am pleased to be in a position to progress these important elements that will impact positively on the services provided to adoptees, their birth families and their wider families who are seeking contact with each other. The revisions to the Bill that I am now proposing to pursue will mean that important personal adoption and related records will be transferred to the Adoption Authority of Ireland to be appropriately safeguarded. Offences will be created for anyone found to have destroyed, concealed, altered or falsified a record. To compliment this, the current National Adoption Contact Preference Register will be put on a robust statutory footing. This register provides an invaluable service to those seeking contact and this will ensure its effectiveness and most importantly, its compliance with data protection requirements. For those whose relatives do not register a preference for contact, an application can be made to Tusla to trace that person for the purposes on contact/reunion."
"I would like to sincerely thank those who have given me their views and opinions on this matter and who have supported me in my efforts to seek consensus to progress these matters. I am personally deeply disappointed that it has not proved possible to reach a consensus on the complex and emotive issue of the release of birth information and that this issue must be set aside for now. I hope this can be progressed in the future, but my priority, for now, is to move forward with those issues on which there is general consensus".
Haiti Webnotice
The Adoption Authority of Ireland has been closely following the current situation in Haiti with regard to the ongoing civil unrest and increasing outbreaks of violence. Following discussion with our colleagues in other Central Authorities and our accredited agency for Haiti, Helping Hands, the Authority has temporarily suspended the Haiti programme, pending the stabilisation of the political situation there.
In the strongest possible terms, we would advise any applicants against travelling to Haiti, under any circumstances, until the situation there has been fully reviewed.
All transitional cases with packs in Haiti will continue to be processed to the best of Helping Hands’ ability, but with due consideration and caution in respect of the safety of persons there. No further applications will be accepted for the Haiti programme for the time being.
This webnotice/site will be updated on the basis of any updates received from Haiti/IBESR.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has published a report on the potential introduction of open or semi-open adoption in Ireland, based upon the findings of a review and consultation that the Department carried out over a period of 18 months. The review included policy and legal analysis, in addition to various forms of consultation with members of the public and key stakeholders. The full report can be viewed here.
Participants are needed to take part in a study on adoption from foster care in Ireland. The study is looking for people aged 20 - 25 years old, who were adopted by their foster carers at age 16 or 17.
While this study is in no way connected to the AAI, the Authority is supportive of new research into the area of adoption in Ireland. The design of this study by TCD PhD candidate Sinéad Whiting has received ethical approval from the relevant research ethics committees at TCD and Tusla. Should you wish to take part, please contact Sinéad directly.
Information on how to contact Sinéad to participate may be viewed here
Further information for participants is available here
