A Short History of SACAS

A Short but Dynamic History
The short history of SACAS is a study in the need for people to belong to a community and how the nature of that community can be fundamentally influenced by external events.  We hope that the brief history below will help those new to SACAS to better understand where our organisation is coming from and where we are headed.

People and the Need for Community
Immediately following the commencement of the Chinese adoption program in 2000 people began reaching out for information, support and friendship. Gradually networks developed through the early batches and the establishment of a Host Family Scheme.  These friendships would become pivotal in the development of more formal networks and groups.  Within a few years people began to join electronic support groups and it was Australian Overseas Adoption South Australia (AOASA) that first offered a forum in which South Australian's could come together.  Slowly the numbers of families and waiting parents grew and people began asking why South Australia did not have a support group in place for the Chinese adoption program.  Some joined Chinese community groups and/or general intercountry adoption groups.  However around mid 2004 a feeling was developing that enough of a "critical mass" was present to make a support group viable.  To test this feeling a small group of parents and waiting parents advertised a Christmas Party and the large attendance was confirmation that a support group was needed.  SACAS was born.

Impacted by External Events
However none of the above occurred within a vacuum.  In the United States the rapid growth of Chinese adoptions was evidence that any local South Australian support group would need to be prepared for rapid growth and large numbers of members.  Perhaps numbers that would exceed even the largest of groups currently operating within South Australia.  This was a challenging and daunting prospect and one that would require considerable thought and planning.  The founders of SACAS recognised that unlike many smaller groups our organisation would require a degree of formality in its structures and administration in order to succeed.  The anticipated growth of the Chinese adoption program was therefore one of the major external factors on the history of SACAS.

At around the same time as SACAS was forming the intercountry adoption community in South Australia would be deeply affected by the closure of the private adoption agency Australians Aiding Children Adoption Agency (AACAA) and its replacement by the state government's Adoptions and Family Information Service (AFIS).  At this time the there was a great deal of uncertainty and concern within the intercountry adoption community and this coincided with many of the formative decisions within SACAS.

So SACAS was forged in a crucible of uncertainty and in such an environment it steeled itself to become a robust, self-supporting and sustainable support group.   At the same time SACAS also recognised the need to play its part in the intercountry adoption community and actively sought to form friendships with like minded individuals and organisations.  You will therefore find enshrined in the SACAS Constitution not only a desire to pursue the classic Chinese philosophy of strength and self reliance, but also a desire to work constructively with others and to play our part in making the intercountry adoption community a better place for adoptive families and their children.

SACAS is truly a product of the environment in which it was born.

The SACAS of Today
Today it is often remarked that SACAS is different to other intercountry adoption support groups.  The short history of SACAS above provides some explanation for these differences.  The nature of the Chinese Adoption Program along with the times in which our organisation was born have both left there marks on the development of SACAS.  However one cannot forget the role that individuals have played in this process.  From the very start SACAS has been blessed by attracting a diverse range of people with complimentary skills and a shared vision to make South Australia the best place in the world in which to adopt and raise a child born in the People's Republic of China.  

Achieving this vision will form the future of SACAS.


Timeline of Key Stages in the Early History of SACAS