The adoption process for birth parents
Information about signing the consent form for adoption, what to do if you change your mind, your child's name before and after adoption, what personal information you can give to your child, and your say in who the adoptive parents are.
Giving consent
Both the birth mother and birth father must give consent for their child’s adoption. Both parents of a child have the same legal rights and, in most situations, both parents should be involved in the adoption (an exception to this is when the Court decides adoption is in the best interest of a child).
When a father is aware of the adoption plan, we encourage him to be involved in the same way as the mother. This means, assisting with legal documents, providing social and medical information and choosing adoptive parents. The father may see the adoption worker with the mother, or have separate meetings to explore his individual thoughts and feelings.
When the child to be adopted is 12 years old or older, and can understand what adoption is and what consenting to adoption means, they can consent to their own adoption. In such cases, you would not be asked to consent.
When all the required consents have been given, the Secretary of DCJ becomes your child's legal guardian.