What's the process for adopting a child?

• Orientation- gives you the information you need to know regarding adopting
• Initial application package- indicating your desire to adopt a child
• Reference letters- from individuals who address your suitability
• Police checks- you can not have a criminal record
• Medical reports- your current and past medical history
• Financial reports- you must be financial able to support a child
• Usually 3 to 5 interviews
• Safety inspection of home- ensures your home is safe and suitable for a child
• Adoption training- 9 weeks

How long does the adoption process take? 6 months to 2 years for the process above, it can take much longer to actually proceed in adopting a child.

For applicants who are willing to consider the adoption of an older child, a child with special needs or a sibling group, your application will be expedited with shorter time frames.

Who decides which people will receive adoptive children? Adoption workers collaborate with all of the CAS staff who have worked with the child who is to be adopted and with that child's family. Whenever possible, foster parents and birth parents are included in the decision making process.

Do I have to be wealthy to adopt a child? No, but you must show that you can support a child on your income

Do I have to be married to adopt a child? No

Detailed Information and Legalities on Adoption

Adoption is a legal and social process which establishes a parent-child relationship, providing permanence and security, for children whose birth family, for a variety of possible reasons, cannot parent them.

Adoption Today is a well-structured, legally binding procedure that has changed considerably over the years to reflect the changes in our larger society.

Birth Parent Involvement in the selection of an adoptive family is one of these changes.

Consent to Adoption must, by law, be obtained from both the birth parents and the child for whom adoption is planned, if that child is over seven years of age.

The Adoption Home Study mutually evaluates the capacities of the applicants for adoptive parenthood and relates these to the needs of the children awaiting adoption.

Adoption Placement is a process that includes a minimum of a six month probationary period that provides a time for the adoptive family and the adopted child to adjust to each other and to ensure that the placement is "right" for both of them.

Adoption Disclosure addresses the wishes of adult adoptees, birth families and adoptive parents for more information about each other and for reunion.


We welcome your questions about adoption.

You may also wish to check out the Ministry of Community and Social Services' Adoption Home Page

Adoption Today

Adoption is a legal and social process, which establishes a parent-child relationship, providing permanence and security for the child.
Adoption has changed over the years to reflect changing patterns in our society. Not long ago, adoption was considered appropriate only for babies. Currently, the adoptable population is a mixture of children from all age groups, some of them with special needs.

Ontario's adoption rate has declined over the past years for a number of reasons. It is now socially acceptable for a young single mother to keep her baby and more single parents are raising their own children. Also, the birth rate is lower due to birth control measures and services, which help keep families together, have improved.

Years ago, children could be adopted with few formalities. Frequently, a child simply took the adoptive family's name and lived as "one of the family". In many ways this was unsatisfactory for both child and parent. It provided little security for the child, whose legal rights and past identity could easily become lost. As well, the adopting parents' relationship with the child remained unprotected and could be disrupted.

Adoption today is a well structured, legally binding procedure. The Child and Family Services Act (CFSA) details the legal process of adoption in the province. The intent of this legislation is to protect the rights of every party involved in an adoption.

Children may become available for adoption in Ontario through one of three ways:

• under the CFSA, an order of crown wardship is made that specifies no access to the birth family;
• by consent of the child's birth mother and any other person who has parent status according to the statutory definition; or
• by order or other recognized release for adoption under the laws of another province or country.

Newborns to be placed for adoption often come to the agency's attention through hospital referrals, and the agency provides a voluntary counseling and referral service offered by the Society to women and men requiring assistance in adapting to a pregnancy.

The goal of this program is to assist expectant parents in making informed decisions and plans. The program assists expectant parents to arrive at a decision about whether or not to parent the child, place the child for adoption or terminate the pregnancy. This service is offered without coercion or influence and assistance is provided in following through with the decisions and plans made by the expectant parents.

When a decision to relinquish a child for adoption is made, support is provided to the adoption and grieving processes. If available, the worker can refer the birth parents to a post-relinquishment support group.
 

Birth Parent Involvement

The Kawartha- Haliburton Children’s Aid Society encourages birth parents who relinquish a child for adoption to be involved in the planning process to the extent that they wish.

Practices in adoption tend towards openness to the extent that information exchange is non-identifying and protects the identities of both the birth and adoptive parents.

Birth parents relinquishing a child for adoption may participate in any of the following ways in the selection of an adoptive family:

• Through the expression of hopes and preferences for their child or particular qualities they would seek in an adoptive family.
• Through reviewing adoption profiles with the adoption worker and participating in the selection discussions.
• By meeting the prospective adoptive parents to exchange wishes for and feelings about the child.
• With the agreement of the birth parents and adoptive family, the Society may act as an intermediary for the annual exchange of non-identifying information such as letters.
• Through the provision of gifts, letters or mementoes for the child at the time of adoption placement.
  

Consent to Adoption

When a parent or parents decide to relinquish their child for adoption, a consent for adoption must be signed. This consent cannot be given until the child is eight days old.

A child being placed for adoption who is seven years of age or older must also give written consent. Consent given by either the parent or child (if the child is seven years or older) may be withdrawn within 21 days after the consent is given.

When a child has been made a crown ward under the Child and Family Services Act, then a children's aid society is required by law to make all reasonable efforts to secure an adoption placement, if adoption planning is in the child's best interests.

A Crown wardship order is made by the courts on determination that in the child's best interests he/she can no longer live with his/her birth parents, and that a better and less restrictive option (such as placing the child with relatives) is not available. Under Crown wardship, the province accepts all rights and responsibilities for the child.

A Crown ward cannot be placed in an adoptive home until any outstanding access order made under child protection proceedings has been terminated by court order, the time permitted for appeal of the Crown wardship order has fully expired and any appeal of that order has concluded with a decision that has left the order intact.

In cases of Crown ward adoptions, written consent to the adoption is necessary from the children's aid society and the child to be adopted, if that child is seven years of age or older.

Adoption Home Study

The adoption home study mutually evaluates the capacities of the applicants for adoptive parenthood and relates these to the needs of the children awaiting adoption.

It also assists the applicants to become aware of what adoption involves, how adoptive parenthood differs from biological parenthood and prepares the applicants for the adoption process.

The home study assesses the applicant's home environment, including competence as an adoptive parent. Applicants play a major role in assessing their own abilities and motivations in the home study process.

This process is completed through individual interviews and an education group, led by an adoption worker and experienced adoptive parents.

The contents of an adoption home study are determined by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and addresses a variety of issues. Additionally, applicants must provide four character references, have a medical examination and undergo a police check.

Adoption Placement

The Society recognizes that there are children who want and need the security and commitment of an adoption home and, at the same time, want and need to have periodic contact with particular members of their birth family such as siblings and grandparents.

The agency will look for adoption placements for such children, provided suitable and appropriate access arrangements can be made.

Prior to placing a child in an adoptive home, extensive visiting occurs between the child and the prospective adoptive parents. The adoptive family is also provided with all of the non-identifying information regarding the child's birth, life experiences, health and family background.

The placement of a child into an adoptive home begins the adoption probation period. In most instances the probation period lasts six months.

Adoption probation is a critical period of adjustment for both the child and the adoptive family. During this time period, the child begins the process of integration into the adoptive family. The probation period provides a time for the family and child to adjust to each other and to ensure that the placement is "right" for both the child and the adoptive family.

An adoption worker visits the child and adoptive parents in the adoptive home a minimum of three times during the probation period. These visits are to assist the family with any adjustment difficulties. In addition, it allows the adoption worker to provide support, coordinate support services and, ultimately, to assess the extent to which the child has meshed with the adoptive family and the extent to which the adoptive parents demonstrate the ability to absorb the child into the family.

Once the probation period has concluded, the adoption may be finalized. This is done in Family Court.

The court will only finalize an adoption if it is satisfied that the adoption order is in the child's best interests. A report prepared by the adoption worker, which summarizes the adoption placement and addresses why it is in the best interests of the child to be adopted by the applicants, is submitted to the court. The best interests of the child are defined in the CFSA and include any factors that are relevant to the situation.

An adoption order is final and irrevocable. On the date the court makes the adoption order, the adopted child becomes, in law, the child of his or her adoptive parents and ceases, in law, to be the child of his or her birth parents or any other prior adoptive parent.

Adoption Disclosure

Adoption Disclosure is a service that responds to the requests of adult adoptees, birth parents, birth grandparents, birth siblings and adoptive parents who wish information about each other. It also helps with reunions matched and referred by the Adoption Disclosure Register maintained by the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

We provide non-identifying information as well as reunion preparation counselling. Many people want information only, while others obtain it before deciding to pursue reunion.

The issues in both adoption disclosure are complex yet similar. Identity is a major theme we often hear from those seeking information that "pieces of the puzzle are missing". Common questions asked are "Whom do I look like?" and "Where do my interests, talents, skills and personality traits come from?"

Birth family members receive some comfort in knowing a little about the adoptive family and the child's progress until adoption finalization.

However, information on files is usually not current; how much information is on file will vary according to what was recorded at the time of the adoption or while a former Crown ward was in the agency's care. This is why adoption disclosure legislation encourages the collection of updated, non-identifying information from inquiring parties to be placed on file. This can then be passed along to other family members who seek information.