The ‘Only Child’ as an Issue in Adoption Policy: Myth &; Evidence

Neither State nor private adoption agencies in Australia give preference to childless applicants over applicants who already have one child. This policy is presumed to be in ‘the best interest of the child’, and is based on the belief that being an only child leads to maladjustment. Empirical evidence indicates, however, that in general only children are in fact better adjusted than children from larger families. Consequently, not only has the existing policy no substance but also it denies natural justice to the childless couples who have to wait to start their adoptive family.

In the past two decades there has been a complete reversal of the supply/demand situation in the area of child adoption in Australia. At present, the number of children available for adoption is so small relative to the number of potential adopters, that approved applicants have to wait for up to eight years in N.S.W. before they can expect to have a child allotted to them. The length of this waiting period seems excessive not only in terms of the applicants’ expectations but also in terms of ordinary common sense values of the general community. If the situation is to be remedied, there is a need for a more flexible adoption policy suited to the prevailing social circumstances. A facet of this policy, which could shorten the waiting period possibly by half if adapted to the existing situation, is the proviso that all other things being equal childless applicants are given no preference over applicants who already have a natural or adopted child.