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The figure is significant: The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) processed 439 adoption applications last year, down from 556 in 2005 and 731 in 2004.
The vast majority of these applications - 98 per cent - were successful. Most of the adopted children, about 60 per cent, were born overseas.
From 2000 to 2003, an average of 700 children were adopted each year.
The MCYS said that the number wanting to adopt children fluctuates according to 'individual choices'.
But six adoption agencies told The Straits Times the falling numbers could be due to the strict checks since 2005 on prospective parents, on their readiness and suitability to adopt.
Some would-be parents do not want to be put through such strict checks and may have given up their adoption plans, say the agents.
These checks, called Home Study Reports, were introduced for those who want to adopt a child from overseas.
When the MCYS announced the need for such mandatory reports in 2004, it said they were in line with international best practices to safeguard a child's welfare.
Social workers agreed that such reports are important and necessary.
But some adoption agencies and parents felt the checks, involving lengthy interviews and background checks, were rather taxing.
Would-be parents are faced with up to 70 questions in the first interview. These range from their dating history and how they resolve their conflicts, to what child-rearing books they have read.
Applicants must also submit proof of their financial stability. They are also checked for a past history of mental illness and criminal record.
They must complete the report before they scout for a foreign child to adopt.
The MCYS did not respond to The Straits Times' query yesterday about why such reports are required for the adoption of foreign babies only.
Mr Low Soo Meng, owner of Greenhouse Adoption Services, said some parents found the home study report 'very intrusive and troublesome'.
Member of Parliament Wee Siew Kim had, in Parliament earlier this year, pleaded for simplified procedures.
'While we ought to have rigorous checks, some adoptive parents feel we should not go overboard with nitty-gritty issues,' Mr Wee told The Straits Times yesterday. He feels adoption could be one way to boost the country's flagging birth rate.
He felt the MCYS could conduct focus-group discussions with affected parties on simplifying things.
The adoption process could take up to a year, with home study reports taking around six weeks to complete. It costs about $18,000 to $25,000 to adopt a baby from overseas, according to adoption agencies.
Miss Peng Hai Ying, a social worker at Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, a charity accredited to do the reports, defended the checks.
Said Miss Peng: 'If we don't try and ensure that a couple is suitable to be adoptive parents, the child may suffer.'
