Hague Conference’s 2nd Guide on Accreditation under Adoption Convention

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The Hague Conference on Private International Law has issued its Second Guide on Accreditation and Adoption Accredited Bodies under the 1993 Hague Convention (Accreditation and Adoption Accredited Bodies: General Principles and Guide to Good Practice, Guide No 2 under the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption).

Accreditation practice differs widely. The understanding and implementation of the Convention’s obligations and terminology vary greatly. It is recognised that there is an urgent need to bring some common or shared understanding to this important aspect of intercountry adoption to achieve greater consistency in the operation of accredited bodies.

The purpose of this Guide is therefore to have an accessible resource, expressed in plain language, which is available to Contracting States, accredited bodies, parents and all those other actors involved in intercountry adoption. The Guide aims to:

• that the principles and obligations of the Convention apply to all actors in Hague Convention intercountry adoptions;

• clarify the Convention obligations and standards for the establishment and operation of accredited bodies;

• encourage acceptance of higher standards than the minimum standards of the Convention;

• identify good practices to implement those obligations and standards; and

• propose a set of model accreditation criteria which will assist Contracting States to achieve greater consistency in the professional standards and practices of their accredited bodies.

It is hoped that this Guide will assist the accrediting and supervising authorities in the Contracting States to perform their obligations more comprehensively at the national level, and thereby achieve more consistency at the international level.

 It can be freely downloaded here.