Private Domestic Adoption
Private domestic adoption refers to any adoption within Canada that is not arranged by a public agency. "Private" in this context doesn't mean that the adoption is done quietly or in secret. In fact, most private domestic adoptions nowadays are open adoptions.
Adoption in Canada comes under provincial jurisdiction, which means that the laws vary from one province to the next. Some provinces are flexible, others are not. Listing all the rules and regulations province by province would require a separate website, one that would need to be updated on an ongoing basis since that's how often the laws themselves seem to change.
The key to a successful private adoption is to find out everything you can about your province's restrictions and limitations regarding:
- What adoptive parents can and can't do to find a child
- The fees and expenses prospective adoptive parents can pay, and who they pay them to
- The requirements regarding who must consent to the adoption, as well as when and how that consent can be signed
- The notifications and approvals needed before a child can be placed in the prospective parents' home
- The time frame when the final adoption order can be issued
In many cases, adopting from another province is possible. It simply adds an extra layer to the process since in addition to meeting the requirements governing adoption in your province, you need to meet the laws of the province in which your baby lives or is born. But this isn't something you need to worry about now. Your licensee or agency can explain all the legalities in more detail when the time comes.
For the time being, bear in mind that despite all the legal barriers and obstacles that exist in Canada today, prospective adoptive parents and birth parents find their way around them every day. And with a little bit of patience, perserverance and luck, you can too.
The Process
Apart from a few differences, the private domestic adoption process has much in common with the public one. The key difference is that in private adoption the wait for a healthy newborn is much shorter and prospective adoptive couples (and birth mothers) have much more control over the process than with public adoption. Rather than having the agency choose a child for you, in some provinces you have the option of finding one yourself.
Here are some of the steps you'll need to go through:
- Get a home study completed
- Find a prospective birth mother considering placing her child for adoption
- Have her and the birth father undergo social and legal counselling
- Review their medical and histories
- Meet the birth mother and birth father (optional)
- Have child placed (usually occurs directly from the hospital, prior to birth parents signing their consent)
- Wait for the birth mother's revocation of consent period to expire
- Undergo a probationary period (follow-up visits from adoption practitioner)
- Submit a post-placement report to the provincial ministry in charge of adoption
- Receive an adoption order from the court
Time Line
Adopting privately could take a year or it could take many years. A lot depends on you, and how quickly you can complete a home study, find a child and, finally, get your file processed.
A home study could be completed in three to six months. If everything is in place, the processing of the adoption could be done in a few months as well. In terms of the wait, the biggest question mark will be the search. For some waiting parents, finding a birth mother could take just a couple of days. For others, it could take months or even years. Then again, it may not happen at all. Luck definitely plays a role but remember, in adoption you make your own luck.
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