Thanks for responding to my post! I was beginning to feel like we were the only ones in the UK trying to adopt from South Africa!
We actually reside in Scotland and not in England. I was informed by the Dept. of Education and Skills (formerly the Dept. of Health) that since both the UK and South Africa are Convention (Hague signatory) countries, that our application would stay in Scotland and be sent on to South Africa from here rather than from the Dept. of Health as was the procedure previously. That is neither here nor there for you though.
We will go to Panel on September 8th. The big questions come from what happens next.....I have the Please find below the contact information for South Africa. I have taken the following web site (
http://www.capegateway.gov.za/eng/di...s/11575/174480) which may be of interest to you.
I have been in contact with Marike Bloem before and the latest information she gave me was that no procedures have been put into place yet to deal with the process of inter-country adoptions and that there is no working relation between the UK and South Africa. As far as I can understand from what she says, there must first be procedures put into place and a working relation signed between the South African and British authorities. I have brought this to the attention of the Scottish Executive (who will finalize our paperwork) but I think that perhaps it is the Dept. of Education and Skills that needs to get on this. Please let me know what you can find out. I have also pasted the Dept. of Education and Skills contact at the end of this.
ARE INTER-COUNTRY ADOPTIONS POSSIBLE?
In the past, adoption by a non-citizen of a child born of a South African citizen in South Africa was possible only if the non-citizen qualified for naturalisation as a South African citizen. South African courts also had no power for adoptions of non-South African children by South Africans.
However, South Africa has now signed an international convention on inter-country adoptions. The Children's Rights Bill, likely to be passed in 2004, sets out the procedure for inter-country adoptions.
To legalise any inter-country adoptions it is important to liaise directly with the Registrar of Adoptions in Pretoria, as well as International Social Services (ISS) in South Africa.
Ms. Marike Bloem
Registrar of Adoptions, Department of Social Development
Private Bag X901, Pretoria, 0001
Tel: 012 312 7593
Fax. 012 323 3733
marikeb@socdev.gov.za
Mrs Francis Viviers
ISS
Tel: 012 312 7790.
In England:
Ian Johnson
Department for Education and Skills
Telephone 0870 000 2288
Text Phone 01928 794 274