Information for Health Professionals
Health professionals welcome
Are you a GP, midwife, nurse, school/pregnancy counsellor or youth/community worker? As a professional working with pregnant women, you need to be informed about the way adoption works in New Zealand today. We have put together some information that will be of use to you.
All adoptions are under the jurisdiction of Child, Youth and Family, however, the process has undergone a huge transformation in the last 15 years. Today’s adoption process is explained in the section entitled “How does adoption work in NZ? “
You may find it helpful to read the New Zealand research on the outcomes for adopted people and we have also listed some useful websites.
To give you some idea on where to start when counselling a young person who is facing an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy we have asked Dr Sue Bagshaw, a well respected youth health expert, to give some tips on how to identify the cognitive development level of the young person you are working with. Knowing this enables you to discuss their options in a way they can understand.