❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks data on death notifications related to adoptions, specifically regarding individuals unaware of their adoption status. The response indicates data limitations and outlines the notification process.
AnsweredQoN 1132Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Adoption data—Notification
1132. Hon Jess Beckerling to the minister representing
the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the WA Government's
adoption data, which was last updated on 15 October 2025.
(1) How many death notifications have been
received from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and processed by the
Department of Communities so far in the current reporting period?
(2) Of all the adopted people notified about the
death of a biological parent since the 2022–23 reporting period, how
many were unaware that they were adopted at the time of the department's
communication with them?
(3) Does the government keep records for how many
adopted people were unaware of their adoption status at the time a death
notification is issued and:
(a) if no, why not; or
(b) if yes, can the minister please table the
relevant data for reporting periods 2022–23 onwards?
(4) Can the minister please table WA's process
pathway document for notifying someone of the death of a party to an adoption
procedure?
1132. Hon Jess Beckerling to the minister representing
the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the WA Government's
adoption data, which was last updated on 15 October 2025.
(1) How many death notifications have been
received from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and processed by the
Department of Communities so far in the current reporting period?
(2) Of all the adopted people notified about the
death of a biological parent since the 2022–23 reporting period, how
many were unaware that they were adopted at the time of the department's
communication with them?
(3) Does the government keep records for how many
adopted people were unaware of their adoption status at the time a death
notification is issued and:
(a) if no, why not; or
(b) if yes, can the minister please table the
relevant data for reporting periods 2022–23 onwards?
(4) Can the minister please table WA's process
pathway document for notifying someone of the death of a party to an adoption
procedure?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Child Protection.
The Department of
Communities advises the following.
(1) For the reporting period between 1 July and 30
October 2025, the Department of Communities has received 48 death notifications
and processed 52, noting that four notifications were carried over from the
previous reporting period.
(2)–(3) This information is contained
within individual case files. It is not available in a reportable format.
(4) When a notification of death is to be
undertaken, Adoption Services will send a letter to the relevant parties
notifying them that Communities has family information they may wish to receive
and to contact Adoption Services. If a response is not received, Adoption
Services will seek to contact the recipient again to confirm that the letter
has been received. Adoption Services provides trauma-informed support to people
after receiving a notification and can provide referrals to specialised
services for ongoing support and counselling.
question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Child Protection.
The Department of
Communities advises the following.
(1) For the reporting period between 1 July and 30
October 2025, the Department of Communities has received 48 death notifications
and processed 52, noting that four notifications were carried over from the
previous reporting period.
(2)–(3) This information is contained
within individual case files. It is not available in a reportable format.
(4) When a notification of death is to be
undertaken, Adoption Services will send a letter to the relevant parties
notifying them that Communities has family information they may wish to receive
and to contact Adoption Services. If a response is not received, Adoption
Services will seek to contact the recipient again to confirm that the letter
has been received. Adoption Services provides trauma-informed support to people
after receiving a notification and can provide referrals to specialised
services for ongoing support and counselling.
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