Barnardos Post Adoption Service  is continuing to offer services throughout the current health crisis, and has issued the following statement outlining current arrangements:

"Barnardos Post Adoption Service is continuing to offer services throughout the current health crisis. While we cannot meet with our clients face to face, our staff are offering phone support and Skype sessions to adopted teenagers and children and their parents, as well as adopted adults and birth family members. We are finding that the Skype sessions are already being really welcomed by families around the country.

Our phones continue to be staffed in our three centres in Dublin (01-8134000), Cork (021-2038005) and Galway (091-454489). We will call you back if we miss you! You are most welcome to phone us or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our post adoption helpline continues to operate at 01-4536388 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings."

HHAMA is continuing to monitor the current situation in relation to COVID-19.

As of 18 March 2020, no travel is to be undertaken to any jurisdiction / country to effect an intercountry adoption.

The decision has been made in conjunction with the Adoption Authority, and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has been informed. 

In relation to document and dossier submissions; several of the sending authorities have closed their offices and so we continue to monitor document status in HHAMA and email scans where practical. This is a matter we continue to monitor in relation to courier services and sending countries' ability to receive packages. 

COVID-19 NOTICE UPDATE AAI MARCH 28TH SERVICE UPDATE

From Monday March 30th the Adoption Authority Of Ireland are operating a restricted service until further notice. 

If you wish to make contact with the Authority, the email addresses of relevant senior managers are listed below. 

If you need to speak to someone by phone please contact Patricia Carey CEO on 01 2309329 or Tara Downes Director of Operations 01 2309302 by telephone. 

Senior Management Team        This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Head of HR and Staff Development) / Kate_O’This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Head of Compliance)

                                             This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Board Sec/Director of Operations)/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (CEO)

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:

http://www.cunamh.com/

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".

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.