"It's Quite a Journey": Australian Parents' Experience of Adopting Older Children from Overseas Orphanages

In recent decades, increasing numbers of Australian parents have welcomed children from overseas into their families. For a variety of reasons, many of these children are past infacy at placement and the majority have been cared for in institutions. Both older age and institutional care are factors associated with an increased risk of problems. Although many studies have examined the incidence of problems, few studies have allowed parents to share their perspectives of life after adoption. In this study, 13 fathers and 15 mothers accepted the invitation to share their stories of family life post-placement. Despite a high incidence of a variety of problems, most parents were satisfied with their choice to adopt. A number of parents summarised their experience as "quite a journey."