The Many-Sided Triangle is a paradoxical image which seeks to capture the complexity of child adoption. A single adoption profoundly touches the lives of so many people—the child itself, its birth mother, its birth father, its adoptive parent or parents, and their relatives and friends.

This is the very first comprehensive account of the history of adoption in Australia, its law and practice. The book's careful consideration of changing social contexts throws light on why adoption reached such a peak of popularity in the early 1970s, then rapidly declined. The authors welcome our present understanding of its long-term human effects—but might the new orthodoxies in adoption and permanent alternate care sometimes prove as coercive as the old ones?

Audrey Marshall and Margaret McDonald write from long professional experience as social workers. They look at the drama of adoption from the viewpoint of all the participants, including workers in the various systems. Using many case examples, they give the people involved a chance to have their say.

The Many-Sided Triangle is not only an invaluable handbook for workers, professionals, administrators, teachers and students in the field. It is also a reliable source of information, guidance and comfort for anyone caught up in adoption.