About Adoption
The IFPA provides a safe and completely confidential space for anyone who needs to explore their feelings around their crisis pregnancy and the options they feel are open to them.
IFPA counsellors will help guide you through the early steps of considering adoption and put you in contact with the appropriate persons and agencies regarding your decision, and remain available to assist you during this process. Adoption is a process by which a child becomes a member of a new family. It creates a permanent legal relationship between the adoptive parents and the child.
Traditionally, adoption has been of the ‘closed’ variety, yet in recent times trends have been shifting towards recognising ‘open adoption’. ‘Closed’ adoption means that the natural parents and family members have no contact with the adoptive parents or the adopted child
after the adoption. Open adoption is adoption where there is some form of contact/involvement on the part of the natural parents.
Only Registered Adoption Societies and the Health Service Executive are legally entitled to place children for adoption.
The Pregnancy Counsellor will be able to give you information as to how to you can go about arranging and support you throughout the process. Its important that you avail of pre and post adoption counselling when you feel you are ready.
Contacts:
- IFPA National Pregnancy Counselling Service 1850 49 50 51
- The adoption authority of Ireland - comprehensive information on adoption procedures in relation to both international and domestic adoptions: www.adoptionboard.ie
- Health Services Executive: www.hse.ie
- Pact is a charity providing a broad range of services in the area of adoption, information & tracing and unplanned pregnancy: www.pact.ie