Adoption is a legal and social process which establishes a parent-child relationship, providing permanence and security for the child and/or youth.
There have been significant changes in Ontario’s adoption rate which has been declining over the past several years. Not only is it socially acceptable now for a young single parent to keep their baby, our birth rate is lower and the services that help keep families together have also improved.
In addition to these social and cultural changes, we have been experiencing a trend in adoption in the last several years whereby most of our adoption placements have been occurring within the foster resource placement, as well as within family and community systems known as kin. For First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, we work closely with their Band or affiliated community to establish Customary Care Agreements which ensure a child's lifelong cultural safety and permanent connection to their respective community.
To learn more about the adoption process in Ontario, visit the Central Adoption Intake Service via the Adoption Council of Ontario at www.adoption.on.ca.
