Adoption is a social, psychological and legal process through which a child is given the legal status of a child within a family unit other than their birth family. The primary objective of adoption is to provide a family for a child who cannot be cared for by their immediate or extended family. Adoption can provide security, love, protection and nurturing for such a child.

These days there are few healthy infants who need adoptive placement. There are approximately 20 such placements per year. A significant proportion of children needing care outside their birth family have special needs, for example, intellectual or physical disabilities or emotional difficulties, have experienced abuse or neglect, and are not able to remain safely in the long term care of their birth families. These children are likely to be placed in a permanent care placement, rather than adoptive placement.

In fact, approximately three-quarters of the children placed each year by adoption agencies are likely to have their placement legalised by an order other than adoption. The Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) ("CYFA") provides for permanent care orders to recognise these arrangements.

In addition, the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) ("FLA") provides for the granting of parenting orders; for further information see: Chapter 5*2 Parental Responsibility, Maintenance and Child Support.

In most cases, whether the child is placed for adoption or permanent care, there are agreements for ongoing access and information-sharing between the child and birth-family members.

Adoption and permanent care applicants may express an interest in either adopting or providing permanent care for a child, or in both.