CUSTOMER CHARTER
Our Customer Charter is the Adoption Authority of Ireland's public statement on the levels of service that our customers can expect when dealing with the Authority.
Media Queries
All media queries may be directed to below-named at Limelight Communications, who work with the Authority on media and public affairs matters:
- Karen Meenan, E. karen.meenan@limelight.ie
Or
- Kathryn Byrne, E. kathryn.byrne@limelight.ie
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
The Freedom of Information Act 2014 gives you access, on request, to certain records held by the Authority.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 - 2014 with effect from 21 April 2015.
Section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 states that the 'effective date' for an agency like the Adoption Authority of Ireland shall be 21 April 2008, that is, the Act shall only apply to records created by the Authority after 21 April 2008.
Furthermore, the 2014 Act designates the Adoption Authority of Ireland as a ‘Partially Included Agency’. This means that the Acts do not apply to ‘records concerning, or arising from, the making of an adoption order or in the recognition of an intercountry adoption effected outside the State, within the meaning of the Adoption Act 2010'.
Generally speaking, this means that the Acts do not apply to individual adoption records but that they do apply to all other records relating to the activities of the Authority and the former Adoption Board from 21 April 2008 onwards.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland publishes a list of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received. You can access the list here.
Applications for release of information under the Acts should be made in writing to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Adoption Authority of Ireland
Shelbourne House
Ballsbridge
DUBLIN 4
DO4 H6F6
Email: foi@aai.gov.ie
The Freedom of Information Act 2014 gives you access, on request, to certain records held by the Authority. The Adoption Authority of Ireland is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 - 2014 with effect from 21 April 2015
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Complaints Procedure
How to make a complaint
If you wish to make a complaint about the Authority you should first of all try to resolve the problem locally. That means, bringing the complaint to the attention of the person in charge of the service, for example the manager of the relevant unit at the Authority or to the Principal Social Worker (if the complaint refers to an Authority social worker). The Authority has eight administrative units, namely
- Domestic Adoption Unit - domestic@aai.gov.ie
- Records Unit - records@aai.gov.ie
- Intercountry Adoption Unit - intercountry@aai.gov.ie
- Corporate Services Unit - corporate@aai.gov.ie
- HR - hr@aai.gov.ie
- Social Work Team -sw@aai.gov.ie
- Data Protection - DataProtection@aai.gov.ie
- Freedom of Information - foi@aai.gov.ie
You will help speed up the investigation of your complaint by providing the following details:
your name, address and email address
Exactly what you were dissatisfied with
The name of the official or section you dealt with
A day time telephone number.
You will need to make your complaint in writing, giving as much detail as you can. Written complaints will be acknowledged within 5 (five) working days and the complaint will be investigated within 30 (thirty) days by a complaints officer. If the investigation takes longer than 30(thirty) days, the complaints officer will keep you up updated about progress on your complaint every 20 (twenty) working days.
Following the investigation, you will receive a written response to your complaint and will be advised of your right to have an internal review of the recommendation of the complaints officer. You will also be told of your right to complain to the Ombudsman or the Ombudsman for Children.
All compliants will be treated promptly, fairly, impartially and in confidence;
We will keep records of complaints seperate from other records
We will ensure that no complaint you have made in good faith will be used to your disadvantage in the future
We will endeavour to learn from mistakes to ensure that errors are not repeated.
Where to send your complaint
Complaints should be addressed to the Unit Manager, Name of the Relevant Unit, Shelbourne House, Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 H6F6 or you can email the managers at the addresses below.
Domestic@aai.gov.ie
Intercountry@aai.gov.ie
Records@aai.gov.ie
Corporate@aai.gov.ie
SW@aai.gov.ie
HR@aai.gov.ie
DataProtection@aai.gov.ie
foi@aai.gov.ie
If the complaint is about a Unit Manager it should be addressed to the Director of Operations, Adoption Authority of Ireland, Shelbourne House, Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 H6F6.
Complaint in relation to an Accredited Body
If you wish to make a complaint about an accredited body, you should initially contact the complaints officer for the accredited body. If you have exhausted the complaints process in the accredited body and are not satisfied with the outcome you may then complain to the Adoption Authority. Your complaint should be made in writing to the Accreditation Unit, Adoption Authority of Ireland, Shelbourne House, Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 H6F6.
We hope that we will be able to resolve your complaint satisfactorily. However, if you remain unhappy with our response then you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is impartial and free to use.
The Ombudsman will ask you for details of your complaint and to provide a copy of our final response to your complaint. The best way to do this is through:
- ‘Make A Complaint’ at www.ombudsman.ie
You can also write to: Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terace, Dublin 2, D02 W772 or call 01 636 5600 if you have any queries.
You can also write to the Ombudsman for Children's Office, Millenium House, 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin D01 F5P8. Email oco@oco.ie. Website www.oco.ie
The OCO is a quasi-judicial body with a mandate to accept and investigate complaints about how the State is providing services or making decisions for children.
This complaints procedure allows anyone receiving adoption services to make a complaint about the actions or failures of the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The complaints system also covers registered Accredited Bodies who provide various adoption related services.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Adoption is a life-changing process for everyone involved. It needs to be underpinned by a strong legal process to protect everyone's rights. It's important, therefore, that any information we provide is as clear as possible.
DATA PROTECTION
FEES
Adoption Authority Fees
The following charges are applied by the Adoption Authority of Ireland:
A copy of an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions:
€2.00 for a search. €20.00 for a copy of an entry
A copy of an entry in the Gender Recognition Register (Intercountry Adoptions):
€2.00 for a search. €20.00 for a copy of an entry
Courier fees: At cost
Translation fees: At cost
There is no charge for issuing a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability.
There is no charge for an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions.
FEES TO AN ACCREDITED BODY
Certain Accredited Bodies have fees approved by the Adoption Authority of Ireland for services rendered – the fees for the programmes listed below are detailed in the country specific page for each country. You can click on the name of the country to go to the information. Any changes or updates to programme fees will be published in the Latest News section of this website as they arise. The relevant country page will also be updated.
Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency (HHAMA)
For each of the countries the Common Programme Fee is €9,500. The fees for the specific country programme varies.
Bulgaria
Common Programme Fee
Bulgaria Programme Fee
China
Common Programme Fee
China Programme Fee
India
Common Programme Fee
For India Programme Fee
USA
Common Programme Fee
For USA Programme Fee
Vietnam
Common Programme
Vietnam Programme
Other Fees:
- Pre-adoption post placement reports: €380
- Post adoption reports: €380
- Transmission of post-adoption reports: €50.00 - €75.00
- Transmission of post adoptions letters to birth families: €10.00
Pre Adoption Reports €400 plus mileage
Post Placement Reports €400 plus mileage
Charges applied by National Central Authorities or foreign Accredited Bodies can be found in Country Information.
Access Officer
The AAI's designated Access Officer, Catherine Breen, can be contacted by;
email: corporate@aai.gov.ie
phone: + 353 1 2309 300 (select number 5 - Corporate Services)
Adoption Authority Fees
The following charges are applied by the Adoption Authority of Ireland:
A copy of an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions:
€2.00 for a search. €20.00 for a copy of an entry
A copy of an entry in the Gender Recognition Register (Intercountry Adoptions):
€2.00 for a search. €20.00 for a copy of an entry
Courier fees: At cost
Translation fees: At cost
There is no charge for issuing a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability.
There is no charge for an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions.
FEES TO AN ACCREDITED BODY
Certain Accredited Bodies have fees approved by the Adoption Authority of Ireland for services rendered – the fees for the programmes listed below are detailed in the country specific page for each country. You can click on the name of the country to go to the information. Any changes or updates to programme fees will be published in the Latest News section of this website as they arise. The relevant country page will also be updated.
Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency (HHAMA)
For each of the countries the Common Programme Fee is €9,500. The fees for the specific country programme varies.
Bulgaria
Common Programme Fee
Bulgaria Programme Fee
China
Common Programme Fee
China Programme Fee
India
Common Programme Fee
For India Programme Fee
USA
Common Programme Fee
For USA Programme Fee
Vietnam
Common Programme
Vietnam Programme
Other Fees:
- Pre-adoption post placement reports: €380
- Post adoption reports: €380
- Transmission of post-adoption reports: €50.00 - €75.00
- Transmission of post adoptions letters to birth families: €10.00
Pre Adoption Reports €400 plus mileage
Post Placement Reports €400 plus mileage
Charges applied by National Central Authorities or foreign Accredited Bodies can be found in Country Information.
Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015
The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 came into force on 1 September 2015. It provides that certain people who are carrying on lobbying activities must register with the Standards in Public Office Commission and must provide information about their lobbying activities.
The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 came into force on 1 September 2015. It provides that certain people who are carrying on lobbying activities must register with the Standards in Public Office Commission and must provide information about their lobbying activities.
The register of Lobbying will be maintained by the Standards in Public Office Commission and will be publicly accessible at www.lobbying.ie
The Register of Lobbying will include information about:
- Who is lobbying?
- On whose behalf is lobbying being carried out?
- The issues involved in lobbying
- What is the intended result of the lobbying?
- Who is being lobbied?
Designated Public Officials:
The person being lobbied is a designated public official.
They include:
- Ministers and Ministers of State
- TDs and Senators
- MEPs for constituencies in this State
- Members of local authorities
- Special Advisers
- Secretaries General and Assistant Secretaries in the Civil Service
- Chief Executive Officers and Directors of Services in Local Authorities
Further Information:
More information on the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 can be found at www.lobbying.ie
The Chief Executive Officer and members of the Board of the Adoption Authority of Ireland are designated Public Officials under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015.
- Chief Executive Officer (Director) - Dr. Lorraine Horgan
- Chairperson of the Board of the Adoption Authority - Orlaith Traynor
- Deputy Chairperson of the Board of the Adoption Authority - Sean O'Brien
- Board Members - Judge Patrick McMahon, Professor Sheila Greene, Paul Harrison, Dr. Helen Buckley
