A NEW study has been launched into the lived experience of intercountry adoption in Ireland.
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC) will lead the research which will explore the experience of intercountry adoption from the perspectives of children aged up to 12 years old and their families.
“This study seeks to capture the views of both adoptive parents and their children,” Dr Simone McCaughren, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at TCD, said.
“The parent survey, devised in consultation with the Adoption Authority of Ireland, will gather key demographic information concerning parents who have experience of intercountry adoption,” she added.
Approximately 5,000 children have been adopted into Ireland through intercountry adoption.
The findings of the new research project will inform the development of adoption-related services and supports in Ireland for the future.
The first phase will involve a nationwide survey of parents habitually resident in Ireland who have adopted children through intercountry adoption.
Further phases will involve follow-up interviews with adoptive parents and meeting adopted children aged 12 years and under.
“The survey aims to tap into the lived experiences of adoptive parents in the context of supports they and their families need,” Dr McCaughren explained.
“These insights will help inform the development of future adoption-related policies, supports and services for intercountry-adopted children and their families.”
Dr Aisling Parkes, who is a Senior Lecturer in Law at UCC, explained: “This interdisciplinary study will explore the views of children who have been adopted from other countries using carefully considered research methods which are dynamic and child appropriate.
“Informed by a children’s rights-based approach, this study is interested in learning about the unique experiences of children aged between 0-12 years in the context of intercountry adoption in Ireland.”
Chair of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Orlaith Traynor, said they were “proud” to have commissioned the new study.
“This study, represents an important opportunity for intercountry adopted children and their families to let us know about their experiences, and how, as a country, we can best support them,” she added.
See More: Intercountry Adoption, Ireland, Study, TCD, UCC
