Politics of Adoption International Perspectives on Law, Policy & Practice

The Politics of Adoption identifies and analyses the fundamental social and legal functions of adoption. It is a timely publication as across the world adoption law reform is now giving rise to contentious issues. The change process underway in England & Wales offers an opportunity and a perspective to explore areas of commonality and difference in the experience of other nations. It also provides a window through which to examine the presumption that within and between cultures there exists a common understanding of what is meant by adoption.This book offers a comparative analysis of developments in the law, policy and practice of adoption in England & Wales, the US, Australia and Ireland. It explores the global phenomenon of intercountry adoption. The impact of the European Convention and other international legal instruments are assessed and the resulting implications for the future of adoption are considered. It suggests that the more 'open' experience of adoption in indigenous communities such as the Maori of New Zealand, the Aboriginal people of Australia and the Inuit of Canada challenges some of the basic assumptions underpinning adoption law in modern western nations.Kerry O'Halloran is a lawyer, social worker and academic who has spent most of his professional life engaged with this subject. The Politics of Adoption is the product of rigorous research, validated by academics in the countries concerned and is written in an accessible manner to appeal not only to academics and practitioners but also to the many whose lives have been touched by adoption.O'Halloran, Kerry is the author of 'Politics of Adoption International Perspectives on Law, Policy & Practice', published 2006 under ISBN 9781402041532 and ISBN 1402041535.