Adoption Board monitors changes in intercountry adoption services

Save the Children Finland have announced that they will stop accepting new clients for intercountry adoption as of 1 January 2025. The organisation states that this decision will have no impact on currently ongoing adoption processes. Post-adoption services will also continue to be provided to adoptees and to their families. The Adoption Board at Valvira emphasises that there are no supervisory measures in progress that would have had an impact on the decision made by Save the Children Finland.

The Adoption Board will continue to supervise the operations of Save the Children Finland for as long as the organisation has valid licences and ongoing adoption processes. The decision made by Save the Children Finland will have no direct impact on the licences granted to them by the Adoption Board. All licences granted by the Adoption Board are granted for a fixed term. The Adoption Board always carefully considers the evaluations concerning the granting or extending of a licence, with allowance made for safeguarding ongoing adoption processes whenever possible.

Intercountry adoptions continue 

Save the Children Finland have noted that the underlying reason for their decision is the declining demand for intercountry adoptions. This trend is apparent in adoption statistics in all countries of destination. In the countries of origin, focus has shifted to domestic adoptions, and the total number of children put up for adoption has decreased. 

This trend is not unfamiliar to the Adoption Board. 

“In most countries of destination for intercountry adoptions, the number of countries of origin is decreasing, and the focus is shifting to post-adoption support services. As far as the rights of children are concerned, this is a good and desirable trend, because domestic adoption options in the countries of origin are always better for the best interests of the child. What is important is that there must always be a real need and a proper legal basis for adoption, considered from the perspective of the child,” says Irene Pärssinen-Hentula, chair of the Adoption Board.

She notes that adoptions must continue to be arranged through our official adoption system. 

“The most significant change resulting from the decision made by Save the Children Finland is that as of New Year 2025, persons wishing to adopt a child from abroad must apply to Interpedia to begin the adoption process. The number of available countries of origin will decrease, but this will probably have no more than a negligible impact on the overall number of adoptions.”

Read more

Save the Children Finland, news item 7 Oct 2024 (in Finnish)

Further information

Irene Pärssinen-Hentula, Manager, Chair of the Adoption Board, tel. +358 (0)29 520 9247