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Who can adopt in Alberta?
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or
older
- Applicants can be married, single, common-law
and same sex
- Applicants must be Alberta residents
Do I need a homestudy to adopt in
Alberta?
Yes. All prospective adoptive parents must complete a homestudy
and attend a mandatory pre-adoption education seminar before
adopting a child in Alberta. A qualitified adoption social
worker will conduct your homestudy and together you will discuss
your home and community, your marriage relationship and your
thoughts about parenting. You will also discuss many other
aspects of being parents of an adopted child, such as your
knowledge of adoption issues, including those of separation
and loss and their effect on behaviour and development. As
part of the homestudy process you will be required to provide
information such as medical reports from your doctor, financial
statements, police checks and letters from references. Following
the homestudy process, the agency's social worker will give
the agency a report that includes a recommendation about placing
the child with you. You are entitled to a copy of the report.
What does an Open Adoption
mean in Alberta?
Alberta legislation requires that every
private adoption be open to the extent that full names of
birth parents 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.
An openness agreement varies from one adoption
situation to the next; typically, the amount of contact between
birth parents and the adoptive family tends to be one or more
meetings before the placement with an ongoing exchange of
letters and pictures. Some families agree to having visits
a couple of times a year and others agree to see each other
more often.
Who must give consent to an adoption
in Alberta?*
Generally, for the adoption of a child in Alberta, consents
are taken from:
- the birth mother
- the birth father
- any person appointed as the child's guardian
- the child, if he/she is 12 years of age
or older
Note: Where the child is in the continuous
custody of a Director under the Child, Youth and Family Services
Act, the only consents required are the Director's consent
and the child's consent (where he/she is 12 or more years
of age).
Can adoption consents be withdrawn?
Yes. A birth parent in Alberta can withdraw their consent
to place their child for adoption within 10 days after she
signing the consent papers.
What about a birth father’s
rights in Alberta?
In most cases, a birth father in Alberta,
is considered to be a guardian and his consent to the adoption
is required. Alberta law also requires that he be informed
by the agency of the adoption plan as well as when it's time
to finalize the adoption. In the event that the birth father's
full name or whereabouts are unknown or there are safety concerns,
the courts usually agree to dispense of the birth father's
right to consent to the adoption.
Can prospective adoptive parents
advertise their desire to adopt in Alberta?
No. Alberta's Child, Youth and Family
Enhancement Act states that no person shall publish in any
form or any means an advertisement soliciting a child for
adoption or for the purpose of finding adoptive parents for
children.
Can the agency or adoptive
family help with a birth parent’s expenses?
No. It is illegal to give or receive or even offer to give
or receive payment to procure a child in Canada.
* The consent for adoption applies to situations
where the birth parent(s) willingly place their child(ren)
for adoption.
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