Placement

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.

Adoption Probation

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 3 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.

Finalizing an Adoption

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.

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 Government of Ontario.

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 "Who 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 file 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.