Actions of the central authority – oversight of intercountry adoptions
The Adoption Board is, in Finland, the central authority referred to in the Hague Adoption Convention and the national authority referred to in the European Convention on the Adoption of Children.
The duties of the Adoption Board in its role as the central authority are managed by the Section for International Matters. One of the members of this Section shall be a representative of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Section must also include at least members with expertise in legal matters relating to international adoptions, practical intercountry adoption operations and child welfare. For the term 2022–2027, the Section was augmented with experts in international social work and global development studies.
The key duties of the Section for International Matters of the Adoption Board include issuing license to provide intercountry adoption services and for the collaboration of Finnish service providers with foreign service providers. The Adoption Board oversees the operations of service providers, monitors compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention in Finland and, when necessary, takes measures to ensure compliance with the Convention.
Duties of the Section for International Matters
- to monitor the operation of the service providers and their cooperation with foreign service providers,
- to grant licences for providing intercountry adoption services and to revoke such licences,
- to grant licences for Finnish service providers to cooperate with a foreign service provider and to revoke such licences,
- to collect and maintain information on legislation and practices regarding adoption and intercountry adoption services in other countries,
- to share the information so collected with authorities and service providers upon request,
- to monitor compliance with the Hague Convention in Finland and, when necessary, take measures to ensure compliance with the Convention,
- to cooperate with the central authorities or the bodies responsible for the duties of a central authority in foreign states that are contracting states in the Hague Convention in order to achieve the objects of the Convention and to exchange the information referred to in the Convention,
- to liaise with designated national authorities in countries that are signatories to the European Convention on the Adoption of Children (2008) to exchange information as referred to in that Convention,
- to issue reports on legislation in a foreign country as referred to in section 78 of the Adoption Act and to issue statements on circumstances relevant for resolving an adoption decision as referred to in section 79 of the Adoption Act,
- to issue the central authority approval referred to in Article 17 paragraph c of the Hague Convention and the certificate of central authority approval referred to in section 8 of the Government Decree on Adoption in cases without a service provider,
- to perform the central authority functions under the Hague Convention, unless a certain function has been delegated to another body by Act or Government Decree.