Licensed Agency Program
A Guide For Prospective Adoptive Parents
To Answer Your Questions And Help You Understand The Process
What does Open Adoption mean?
Alberta legislation requires that every private adoption be open to the extent that full names of birthparents and adoptive parents are on the legal papers each must sign. Adoptions finalized after January 1, 2000 will be open when those adopted persons reach the age of 18 years and 6 months. To us open adoption means more than that, however. Our adoptions involve some degree of contact between adoptive family and birth family. This has ranged from only a phone call after the birthmother has chosen a family for her baby to open ended visiting after placement. The typical amount of contact tends to be one or more meetings before placement with an ongoing exchange of letters and pictures and/or visits after placement. You may have many questions and concerns about this as it sounds new and radical. Most of the fears we hear from people are based on myths or lack of understanding of the adoption process. We will try to address all of your concerns during the pre adoption seminar.
What is the process?
Our process can best be described in two phases:
The first phase begins with submitting the application form in our Application Package. At the same time you can be proceeding with police and social services checks (described later), getting the medicals, gathering necessary documents and attending our pre-adoption seminar. Or you can attend the seminar before submitting any paperwork. Upon completion of these pieces you will be accepted as applicants.
The second phase involves a homestudy done by a qualified social worker within 90 days of your acceptance. Upon its completion you will be approved as prospective adoptive parents and you can then be presented to birthparents as potential parents for a baby.
Who can apply?
We accept people of any age (over 18), religion, marital status, sexual orientation and family size who live in Alberta, providing that you can clear police and social services checks which are described later. If you are a couple, we require that you have been living together at least two years. There is no "ideal" family. Each birthparent comes to us with their own personal criteria and they seek different characteristics in the future parents of their child. It is this "magic" process of finding the right match that makes open adoption so positive and successful. Consequently we like to have a wide variety of families.
What documents are needed?
1. An Intervention Record Check. If there is a serious child protection concern, this will be discussed with you by Alberta Children’s Services. You may still choose to continue with your application, but you should be aware that written consent from the Director must be obtained before approval of the homestudy can be given.
2. Security Clearance Check. This is obtained from the police department. If you have criminal record, the nature, seriousness and date of the offense will be considered by Adoption Options. Minor offenses in your past will not prevent your approval as an adoptive parent.
3. References from persons you designate
4. Medicals
5. Financial Statement
6. Personal Legal Documents
7. Application Part I and the Contract
8. Application Part II and III as given out at the seminar
9. Dear Birthmother Letter and Photos
NOTE that 1 thru 3 must be dated within 6 months of starting your homestudy.
ALSO NOTE that all the above forms are in the application package unless otherwise noted.
Can applicants register with more than one agency?
Families can wait with as many licensed agencies as they wish, as well as with Alberta Children’s Services. However, agencies can set their own policies and some may choose not to allow this. At this time, we are not accepting transfers from other agencies. You are welcome to apply with us but you will need to apply as a new applicant.
What is the pre-adoption seminar?
As an agency, we believe in education and an open sharing of ideas and information. To acquaint you with private and open adoption, we have a weekend course that is held once a month in either Edmonton or Calgary. At this course you learn about birthparents and their needs, learn about the legal aspects and the court process, explore your feelings regarding infertility, hear first hand from birthparents and adoptive parents who have done open adoptions through our agency, and have many more questions answered regarding open adoption, contact with the birthparents and telling the child about his/her adoption.
Why is this seminar required?
The government regulations state that pre adoption counseling covering a number of specified topic areas must be provided before approval. We feel that this is best done in a group setting. This gives you an opportunity to learn how open adoption really works before you take the next steps in the process. It is our policy that ALL applicants attend the seminar.
Who gets approved?
The next step is a homestudy. This involves 8 -10 hours of interviews with a social worker including at least one session in your home. Our objective is not to screen you out but rather to help you decide if open adoption or any adoption is right for you at this time. If a major concern came to our attention during the homestudy we would discuss it with you. If it remained a concern, the social worker doing your homestudy might not be able to recommend you for adoptive parenthood. If you are turned down you have the right to appeal to Alberta Children’s Services Child Welfare Appeal Panel.
The entire process is an open one and you are invited to read and discuss the homestudy report with your worker. Although some people are a bit intimidated at first, they usually learn a lot about themselves and end up enjoying the process.
Who gets chosen?
We certainly can't and don't promise that every family will get a baby. Because the birthparents do the choosing, it depends very much on them. We have found, to this point, that being single or wanting to specify the sex of the child greatly reduces your chances of being chosen. Having two or more children already, being well over 40, or practicing a religion outside of the major Christian denominations may slightly reduce your chances. On the other hand, we have placed children with families in all of the above categories. We give you this information so you can decide for yourselves whether you wish to proceed. Never being chosen is a definite possibility given the realities of adoption today although it seems that if a family leaves themselves on the waiting list they will eventually be chosen.
How long is the wait?
There is no clear answer. Most families are placed within two years. Our waiting list of approved families is generally 90-120 families. We have averaged 55-60 placements over the past 24 years, with 54 babies placed in 2008. The adoption picture is unpredictable and the factors affecting availability of babies are complex. We suggest you be prepared for a one to two year wait with the understanding that it could be much shorter or much longer. To get a sense of how many babies each agency is placing we recommend that you go here.
How does the matching happen?
The length of the wait is so variable because of the matching and selection process. Factors to be considered are the kind of child the family desires to adopt, the kind of people a birthmother wants to become her child's new parents, and the type and amount of contact requested and acceptable by each side. Based on those criteria, a minimum of five files are pulled to show to the birthparent(s). There is no way of accurately predicting which family will be chosen by any birthparent. However, when you have been selected you can be sure that she has chosen you for many reasons that will be meaningful to you, to her and to the child.
What happens next?
When you are matched we continue to work closely with you and the birthparents to facilitate the placement of the baby. Following placement a social worker will visit you in your home to provide support and do final documents. Then the agency will prepare and file all documents pertaining to your adoption application with the courts.
Following finalization of your adoption you may return to Adoption Options at any time for any post adoption support you may need. We will provide post adoption counseling as requested or refer you to the appropriate agency.
Are lawyers still needed?
The agency refers birthparents to a lawyer for signing consents. In some cases we may also need to have a lawyer make an application to the courts to dispense with the birthfather’s rights. Only the agency can prepare and file your adoption petition with the court. Adoptions are now process by a judge “in chambers”. You will not need a lawyer for this process except when there are complications.
To make an appointment for a personal interview or to obtain our application package and get started: CONTACT US.
There are five licensed adoption agencies. To see statistics on all of them go here.
A Guide For Prospective Adoptive Parents
To Answer Your Questions And Help You Understand The Process
What does Open Adoption mean?
Alberta legislation requires that every private adoption be open to the extent that full names of birthparents and adoptive parents are on the legal papers each must sign. Adoptions finalized after January 1, 2000 will be open when those adopted persons reach the age of 18 years and 6 months. To us open adoption means more than that, however. Our adoptions involve some degree of contact between adoptive family and birth family. This has ranged from only a phone call after the birthmother has chosen a family for her baby to open ended visiting after placement. The typical amount of contact tends to be one or more meetings before placement with an ongoing exchange of letters and pictures and/or visits after placement. You may have many questions and concerns about this as it sounds new and radical. Most of the fears we hear from people are based on myths or lack of understanding of the adoption process. We will try to address all of your concerns during the pre adoption seminar.
What is the process?
Our process can best be described in two phases:
The first phase begins with submitting the application form in our Application Package. At the same time you can be proceeding with police and social services checks (described later), getting the medicals, gathering necessary documents and attending our pre-adoption seminar. Or you can attend the seminar before submitting any paperwork. Upon completion of these pieces you will be accepted as applicants.The second phase involves a homestudy done by a qualified social worker within 90 days of your acceptance. Upon its completion you will be approved as prospective adoptive parents and you can then be presented to birthparents as potential parents for a baby.Who can apply?
We accept people of any age (over 18), religion, marital status, sexual orientation and family size who live in Alberta, providing that you can clear police and social services checks which are described later. If you are a couple, we require that you have been living together at least two years. There is no "ideal" family. Each birthparent comes to us with their own personal criteria and they seek different characteristics in the future parents of their child. It is this "magic" process of finding the right match that makes open adoption so positive and successful. Consequently we like to have a wide variety of families.
What documents are needed?
1. An Intervention Record Check. If there is a serious child protection concern, this will be discussed with you by Alberta Children’s Services. You may still choose to continue with your application, but you should be aware that written consent from the Director must be obtained before approval of the homestudy can be given.
2. Security Clearance Check. This is obtained from the police department. If you have criminal record, the nature, seriousness and date of the offense will be considered by Adoption Options. Minor offenses in your past will not prevent your approval as an adoptive parent.
3. References from persons you designate
4. Medicals
5. Financial Statement
6. Personal Legal Documents
7. Application Part I and the Contract
8. Application Part II and III as given out at the seminar
9. Dear Birthmother Letter and Photos
NOTE that 1 thru 3 must be dated within 6 months of starting your homestudy.
ALSO NOTE that all the above forms are in the application package unless otherwise noted.
Can applicants register with more than one agency?
Families can wait with as many licensed agencies as they wish, as well as with Alberta Children’s Services. However, agencies can set their own policies and some may choose not to allow this. At this time, we are not accepting transfers from other agencies. You are welcome to apply with us but you will need to apply as a new applicant.
What is the pre-adoption seminar?
As an agency, we believe in education and an open sharing of ideas and information. To acquaint you with private and open adoption, we have a weekend course that is held once a month in either Edmonton or Calgary. At this course you learn about birthparents and their needs, learn about the legal aspects and the court process, explore your feelings regarding infertility, hear first hand from birthparents and adoptive parents who have done open adoptions through our agency, and have many more questions answered regarding open adoption, contact with the birthparents and telling the child about his/her adoption.
Why is this seminar required?
The government regulations state that pre adoption counseling covering a number of specified topic areas must be provided before approval. We feel that this is best done in a group setting. This gives you an opportunity to learn how open adoption really works before you take the next steps in the process. It is our policy that ALL applicants attend the seminar.
Who gets approved?
The next step is a homestudy. This involves 8 -10 hours of interviews with a social worker including at least one session in your home. Our objective is not to screen you out but rather to help you decide if open adoption or any adoption is right for you at this time. If a major concern came to our attention during the homestudy we would discuss it with you. If it remained a concern, the social worker doing your homestudy might not be able to recommend you for adoptive parenthood. If you are turned down you have the right to appeal to Alberta Children’s Services Child Welfare Appeal Panel.
The entire process is an open one and you are invited to read and discuss the homestudy report with your worker. Although some people are a bit intimidated at first, they usually learn a lot about themselves and end up enjoying the process.
Who gets chosen?
We certainly can't and don't promise that every family will get a baby. Because the birthparents do the choosing, it depends very much on them. We have found, to this point, that being single or wanting to specify the sex of the child greatly reduces your chances of being chosen. Having two or more children already, being well over 40, or practicing a religion outside of the major Christian denominations may slightly reduce your chances. On the other hand, we have placed children with families in all of the above categories. We give you this information so you can decide for yourselves whether you wish to proceed. Never being chosen is a definite possibility given the realities of adoption today although it seems that if a family leaves themselves on the waiting list they will eventually be chosen.
How long is the wait?
There is no clear answer. Most families are placed within two years. Our waiting list of approved families is generally 90-120 families. We have averaged 55-60 placements over the past 24 years, with 54 babies placed in 2008. The adoption picture is unpredictable and the factors affecting availability of babies are complex. We suggest you be prepared for a one to two year wait with the understanding that it could be much shorter or much longer. To get a sense of how many babies each agency is placing we recommend that you go here.
How does the matching happen?
The length of the wait is so variable because of the matching and selection process. Factors to be considered are the kind of child the family desires to adopt, the kind of people a birthmother wants to become her child's new parents, and the type and amount of contact requested and acceptable by each side. Based on those criteria, a minimum of five files are pulled to show to the birthparent(s). There is no way of accurately predicting which family will be chosen by any birthparent. However, when you have been selected you can be sure that she has chosen you for many reasons that will be meaningful to you, to her and to the child.
What happens next?
When you are matched we continue to work closely with you and the birthparents to facilitate the placement of the baby. Following placement a social worker will visit you in your home to provide support and do final documents. Then the agency will prepare and file all documents pertaining to your adoption application with the courts.
Following finalization of your adoption you may return to Adoption Options at any time for any post adoption support you may need. We will provide post adoption counseling as requested or refer you to the appropriate agency.
Are lawyers still needed?
The agency refers birthparents to a lawyer for signing consents. In some cases we may also need to have a lawyer make an application to the courts to dispense with the birthfather’s rights. Only the agency can prepare and file your adoption petition with the court. Adoptions are now process by a judge “in chambers”. You will not need a lawyer for this process except when there are complications.
To make an appointment for a personal interview or to obtain our application package and get started: CONTACT US.
There are five licensed adoption agencies. To see statistics on all of them go here.