ICAS Assessment Standard No. 8
Child Wellbeing (Culture and Religion)
Intercountry Adoption Service (ICAS)
1. Scope
This standard should be read in conjunction with the Intercountry Adoption Service (ICAS) Manual and other
ICAS Assessment Standards
This standard applies to all employees of ICAS, contractors to ICAS and applicants to the ICAS at each stage of
the ICAS process including application, assessment and post placement support.
2. Relevant Legislation
Section 35e of the Adoption Regulations states:
(f) “the applicants have the capacity to provide appropriate support to the maintenance of a child’s cultural
identity and religious faith”
ICAS is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all Intercountry children placed through the service. ICAS
recognises that a child’s previous experience influences what they need in their emotional environment.
3. Background
Identifying with a cultural group has been shown to be important to children’s outcomes. Research has shown
that ethnic identity is positively and significantly correlated with coping, mastery, self-esteem and optimism and
is negatively correlated with loneliness and depression. 1
Studies have shown that many intercountry adoptees can be confused about their race and ethnicity and face
difficulties handling racial/ethnic bias and discrimination. It has been found that a strong positive ethnic identity
may protect the child or adolescent against the negative psychological effects of racism and discrimination. 2
Empirical evidence in support of intercountry adoption has found that, despite some difficulties, intercountry
adoptees can grow up with a healthy racial identity provided they are raised by racially sensitive families in
multicultural settings.3
Adoptive parents play a vital and pivotal role in helping their adopted children to develop pride in their ethnic
identity.
Adoptive parents must ensure meaningful connection to their child’s culture in order to assist their child to be
comfortable within their cultural community. It is vitally important that adoptive parents make these efforts as
1
2
3
Hollingsworth, L. ‘Does the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption address the protection of adoptees’ cultural identity’. Social Work,
Vol 53, No 4.
As reported in Mohanty, J. and Newhill, C. (2008) ‘Adjustment of international adoptees: Implications for practice and a future research
agenda’. In Children and Youth Services review. 28 (2006) 384-395.
Patel,T.. (2007) ‘Theorising the racial identity development of transracial adoptees’ Adoption & Fostering, Vol 31 No. 2.
Department of Health & Human Services
early as possible because this task will be extremely difficult for the adoptee later in life in the absence of such
early cultural exposure.
4. Requirements
4.1 Prospective Applicants
Prospective adoptive parents are encouraged to seek out multicultural opportunities before they are assessed
and approved. This includes but is not limited to:
 being part of an intercountry adoption support group;
 having ongoing relationships with people from culturally diverse backgrounds;
 identifying an appropriate mentor or role model from the cultural community of their future adopted child;
 making links with other adoptive families;
 learning the child’s birth language;
 visiting the country where they wish to adopt from to learn first hand about the people, culture and customs;
considering Home-Stay and Guest House accommodation rather than commercial 4/5 star hotels in order to
gain deeper insight and understanding into culture,
 volunteer work with culturally diverse communities and within the cultural community from which the
applicant wishes to adopt a child;
 making a commitment to return to the country of origin with their future adoptive child;
 learning about the religious beliefs of the culture and developing meaningful ways to develop links with the
religion; and
 for applicants who live in areas that are not multicultural, concerted efforts will be required to ensure that
they can demonstrate that they are in a position to provide their future adoptive child with access to
meaningful cultural connection.
4.2. Approved Applicants
Approved applicants are required to continue developing meaningful cultural links for their future adoptive child.
Applicants will be required to demonstrate growth and development in this area at future reassessments.
Applicants who do not demonstrate sufficient capacity to maintain a child’s connection to birth culture and
religion will be required to do so prior to any re-approval of their application at the reassessment phase.
Applicants are encouraged to develop relationships with Adult adoptees with a view to provision of a mentoring
role for the child into the future.
4.3 Post Placement
Prior to the placement and during the 12-month period of post placement supervision and support, adoptive
parents will be required to develop strong links for their adopted child within their cultural community. This
includes but is not limited to:
 Connection and involvement with relevant adoption support groups;
 Involvement with the Adult Adoptee networks and consider mentoring from an Adult Adoptee for the child,
 Language classes where both adoptive parents and child attend together and mix with members of the
cultural community,
 Exposure to affirmative role models from the child’s country of origin;
 Language classes and lessons to assist maintenance of a child’s birth language;
ICAS Assessment Standard 8 Child Wellbeing (Culture and Religion)
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 Provision of suitable toys, books and multi media of the child’s cultural background;
 Provision of a diet that includes foods from the child’s birth culture;
 Activities and outings that provide access to the child’s birth culture, such as visits to multicultural museums,
culturally diverse grocery stores, exhibitions featuring multi cultural displays, etc;
 Attendance and participation in the child’s religion/faith (if any);
 Ensuring that the child has opportunities to socialize and engage with local members of their cultural
background;
 Attendance and participation in cultural festivals, events and celebrations of the child’s birth country; and
 For children of school age and where it has been assessed that school commencement is appropriate,
adoptive parents should select a multi-cultural school where other children from the child’s ethnic
background also attend.
 For older children, participation at youth camps/groups relevant to the child’s cultural background.
As part of the post placement supervision, the ICAS assessing Social Worker will work closely with the adoptive
family to develop an appropriate case plan to ensure that the child is provided with a rich cultural experience
and connection.
4.4 Post Legalisation / Finalisation
Adoptive parents are encouraged to make a lifetime commitment to their adoptive child’s birth culture and
religion by further developing meaningful and ongoing cultural connections.
Adoptive parents are strongly encouraged to travel back with their adopted child to the child’s birth country in
order for their child to experience their birth culture first hand.
5. Further Information:
Contact Details
 Intercountry Adoption Service. 20/570 Bourke Street Melbourne. Victoria 3000. Telephone 8608-5700 or
1300 769 926.
If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, please phone (03) 8608
5700 using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required.
This document is available as a Word document on the internet at:
www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/policies,-guidelinesand-legislation/intercountry-adoption-service-assessment-standards
Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
January 2015
ICAS Assessment Standard 8 Child Wellbeing (Culture and Religion)
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