Adoption

Every child deserves to have a family of his or her own. Adoption is one way to bring together children who need families and families who want to parent children 

Adoption is a legal and social process, where a parent-child relationship is established and provides the stability, safety and security children need. Through the Children’s Aid Societies, all adoptions are public adoptions. Public adoptions involve ongoing communication and contact between the birth parent(s) and the adoptive child. This can be in the form of letters, emails, phone calls or visits. The amount of contact is negotiated and varies from one adoption to another. Public adoption is good for the adopted child, as it allows him or her to learn more about his/her origin and background.

The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa places approximately 70 children into adoptive homes every year. Most of these children have been removed from their homes due to maltreatment.

The majority of children waiting to be adopted are school-aged or in a sibling group and are from a variety of cultural, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Many have emotional challenges; others have physical, mental or developmental disabilities.

All children deserve a permanent family.

Who can adopt?

• People who are at least 19 years of age
• People who can financially manage the addition of a child(ren)
• People from all cultural, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds
• People who are single or partnered
• People with parenting experience or none at all
• People who have no criminal history preventing them from being approved
• People willing to commit to a permanent lifetime relationship with a child

For more information on adoption in Ontario, visit the Heart Gallery of Canada Inc.