The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1949 made the birth entry registration of an adopted child (and therefore a new birth certificate) automatic. The ability to record a new birth entry had been introduced in 1926, but until 1949 parents who adopted a child had to apply for this to happen. From 1949, all children who had been adopted were automatically registered with a new birth entry. This identified the people who became the child's parents by adoption as the birth parents.
Changes were also made to the requirement that children over the age of 12 years had to give their consent to the adoption. After the amendments, the Judge could dispense with the need for this consent in 'special circumstances'. In practice, those special circumstances included the child being unaware that he or she had not been born to the parents who were now seeking to adopt. Previously, the child had to give his or her consent to the adoption except where the Judge deemed them to be a'deserted' child.
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The Find & Connect Support Service can help people who lived in orphanages and children's institutions look for their records.
Last updated:
30 November 2021
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/wa/WE00668
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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