How to Adopt a Child Through Government Agencies
The Process to Follow for Public Domestic Adoptions in Canada
Nov 18, 2008
In looking at the 2004 adoption statistics compiled from Human Resources and Social Development Canada, approximately 2000 public adoptions took place across the country in that year. About half of these adoptions were completed in Ontario through the Children’s Aid Society, also known as Family and Children’s Services.
Challenges of Adopting Through Public Agencies
If so many children are available for adoption, why are so few public domestic adoptions taking place across the country each year?
One of the most prevailing reasons is that many couples looking to adopt want to bring home a healthy newborn. The wait time for such a child is eight years, which forces couples to look at other adoption options. Most of the children available through public adoption programs are at least three years old. As of March 2008, 9200 children were available for adoption in Ontario alone with almost 90% of them being over the age of six.
Another reason people shy away from public domestic adoptions is that most of the children have had life experiences that have affected them physically, emotionally, mentally and developmentally. Many of the children also still have ties to their birth families and quite often, siblings are adopted together. Being part of the foster care system can create attachment issues for kids as well.
The focus of public adoptions is to find a permanent home that meets the needs of the child. Even though prospective adoptive parents can specify the age, race and gender of a desired child, ultimately the public agency makes the selection of a family in the best interests of the child.
Steps for a Public Adoption
Although each province and territory has its own adoption process, the following is an outline of the basic steps.
- Contact the local public adoption office, such as the Children’s Aid Society and attend the adoption information sessions.
- Complete a police check and medical report which involve having fingerprints and a medical exam done.
- Go to adoption classes offered by the agency. In Ontario, PRIDE training is mandatory for all adoptions including private and international adoptions.
- Start adoption paperwork including family and social histories, and provide references.
- Have an adoption practitioner complete a homestudy. Most agencies will assign one at no cost, but waiting lists may be long. It is possible to have the homestudy completed by a private practitioner for a fee in most provinces and territories.
- Be matched with a child and begin the transition and moving process. The length of time to wait for a child depends on many factors such as desired age, race and gender of child, needs of the child and geographic location of the adoptive family.
- Have visits from an adoption practitioner throughout the probationary period to ensure everyone in the adoptive family is settling in well.
- Complete a post-placement report with the agency to be submitted to the government authority in charge of the adoption.
- Wait for the adoption order from court for the adoption to be finalized.
Refer to the photolisting on Canada’s Waiting Kids to see some of the children available for adoption in Canada. For information on other adoption options read How to Adopt a Child from Another Country and How to Adopt a Child Through an Adoption Agency.
References
Canada Adopts! website
Hilborn, Robin. Waiting Kids in Canada: All About Domestic Adoption. Ontario,Canada: Family Helper Publishing, 2004.
Press Release from Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, November 2008
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