Public Adoption
Public domestic adoption refers to any adoption arranged by a public or government agency such as the Children's Aid Society. In the old days, most adoptions were done this way. In the last few years, however, the pendulum has swung the other way and today private adoptions -- especially those from overseas -- outnumber public ones by a large margin.
The Process
Adopting through a public agency is much more tightly controlled than going through a private agency. As a prospective adoptive parent, you have fewer choices. The focus of public agencies is on the safety and welfare of the child. As a result, the priority is in finding the right set of parents for a child rather than the right child for a set of parents. At the end of the day, you don't have a big say in the matter:
The process varies, depending on the agency you choose. However, there are some basic steps you'll need to follow, no matter where you go:
- Attend an information session
- Complete police clearance and medical report
- Attend adoption classes
- Complete family and social histories and provide references
- Get adoption practitioner assigned and complete home study
- Have a child placed with you
- Probationary period (follow-up visits from adoption practitioner)
- Submit post-placement report to ministry in charge of adoption
- Receive adoption order from court
Time Line
Depending on the type of child you're after, the timeline can fluctuate considerably. Typically, the information sessions and home study can take upwards of a year. As for the placement, a lot of that will depend on you. If you're interested in a special needs child -- a child with a development, physical or mental handicap or who is part of a sibling group or of a different race -- you could have one placed almost immediately. If, on the other hand, you've set your sights on a healthy newborn, you're looking at a wait of at least eight years. Yup, eight years. That's no typo.
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