This means that Sweden today has more internationally adopted children per capita than any other country in the world. The majority of Swedes have a relative or friend who is adopted. Children adopted in Sweden fare very well. Many are now adults and research has shown that they have integrated successfully into their new families and into their new country. A new, loving family is what can best replace the loss of the child s original family.
Adoption gives the child a second chance.
Sweden has ratified the 1993 Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention . NIA is the state body responsible for monitoring and informing about intercountry adoptions, authorising organisations and supervising the work of these organisations. The local social welfare authorities decide whether a family is suitable to adopt. This decision is based on a home-study carried out by a social worker from the municipal authority in question. The applicants general circumstances, finances, health, relationship with each other and the expectations upon the child are the key factors when the case worker makes a final assessment.