General Adoption Information

On Prince Edward Island, there are three main types of adoption - public, private and international. All adoptions on PEI are governed by legislation created to balance the rights of all parties involved in the adoption and to protect the well-being of the child.

PEI's Adoption Act states that adoptions can only be arranged in one of three ways:

1. through the Director of Child Welfare either via the Child Protection Act or the Adoption Act;
2. through a private adoption agent licensed by the Director of Child Welfare; and
3. via a permit issued directly to birth parent(s) by the Director of Child Welfare for a placement with relatives.

Public adoption on PEI is through the government agency's Adoption Program of the Department of Health and Social Services. The children who are available for adoption are in the care and custody of the Director of Child Welfare because the courts have determined that their biological families are unable to care for them. The children range in age from infancy to 18 years old and many have special needs.

There are no private adoption agencies on Prince Edward Island, but a private adoption can be arranged by a licensed private adoption agent. Most private adoptions are for infants and in many cases, the birth parent(s) and adoptive family have found each other independently. Private adoption agents do have waiting lists of families and will present profiles to birth parents who have not chosen a family for their child.

While there are no licensed private international agencies on PEI, families can still pursue international adoptions. Families in the province will have to employ the services of a licensed agency from another province like Manitoba, Ontario or British Columbia. To start with, families should still contact the Adoption Program of the Department of Health and Social Services for an information package and for a list of referrals for private homestudies and agencies.