ABOUT CAA
In 2013, the ministry of gender, children and social protection placed a moratorium on adoption and set up a technical working group to review the laws on adoption in the country. The review led to the passage of the Children’s amendment act 2016 (act 937) which introduced a number of reforms in the adoption procedure.
One of it was the establishment of the central adoption authority as the highest body to regulate adoptions in the country in a manner that promotes the wellbeing and best interest of the child. To achieve its object and function, the CAA has a secretariat, a technical committee and an adoption board. It is worthy of note that in January 2017, Ghana acceded to The Hague Convention on protection of children and co-operation in respect of intercountry adoption, 1993.
CAA STRUCTURE
The Authority, set up under the Children’s (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 937), has three primary structures: The Adoption Board, Technical Committee, and the Adoption Secretariat. The Board recommends policies and programmes, and the technical committee made up of professionals, reviews and decides on adoption applications from home and abroad.
The nine member-board of the Central Adoption Authority is in charge of recommending policies, programs and services for the protection of children from adoption-related abuses such as exploitation and trafficking.
