The Department of Social Services (DSS) has released a redesign of the Intercountry Adoption Family Support Service (ICAFSS) for public consultation.
Announcing the release, the Assistant Minister for Children and Families, Michelle Landry said the consultation period was an important way of ensuring that Australia’s intercountry adoption community had their say on the important service.
Ms Landry encouraged adoptees and their families, prospective adoptive parents, service providers, professionals, academics and the broader community to participate in the process
She said the redesign was the result of calls from the intercountry adoption sector for greater involvement in service design and development.
“To ensure that the ICAFSS continues to meet the needs of the community, we encourage responses to the Discussion Paper from adoptees and their families, prospective adoptive parents, service providers, professionals, academics and stakeholders,” Ms Landry said.
She said DSS staff would conduct targeted face-to-face and phone consultations with a range of stakeholders, including those with a lived experience of intercountry adoption.
“We want to hear from people with a lived experience of intercountry adoption, as their views are essential in guaranteeing that the ICAFSS works as effectively as possible,” she said.
To have your say on the ICAFSS design, visit the DSS Engage website via this PS News link, with the 23-page discussion paper available at this link.
