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The Yukon's Health and Social
Services Department is the central authority for adoption
in the territory. All families who live in the Yukon and pursue
adoption must work with the Department whether they choose
to adopt through the public, private or international adoption
systems.
In most cases, the children
who are available for adoption through the Yukon's Health
and Social Services Department are in the care of the Director.
This means their birth parent's parental rights have been
terminated by the Court for a number of reasons such as abuse
and neglect.
Health and Social Services
also works with birth parents who consent to an adoption plan
for their child and will often encourage their involvement
in choosing a family for their child.
Who are the children
available for adoption in the Yukon?
The majority of children available
for adoption through the Yukon's Health and Social Services
Department have special placement or service needs. These
needs could include one or more of the following:
- they are Aboriginal and must be placed
in a culturally appropriate home if extended family cannot
care for them. Children are often adopted by families in
their community in order to preserve their culture;
- they are part of a sibling group;
- they were exposed to drugs or alcohol
in utero and may have behavioural and learning disabilities;
- they have difficulty attaching to a new
family;
- they have suffered abuse or neglect and
this has delayed their ability to learn and develop; or
they have a combination of the above
STEP
1: Contact the Yukon's Health and Social
Services Department and an intake worker will explain
the adoption process and send you an application package.
You will be required at this time to have a criminal record
check, medical checks and provide three reference letters.
Complete and return all parts of the application package to
the Department. Once you've
returned the application package, you will be placed on a
waiting list to have a homestudy completed. This can take
up to a year before you will be called.
STEP 2:
The Homestudy process. You will be contacted by your
assigned social worker to begin the homestudy process. Yukon
has its own homestudy format and a minimum of 6 to 10 interviews
will be conducted with your family. Your social worker will
meet with you, most likely in your home, and together you'll
discuss topics including your home and community, your marriage
(if applicable), relationships, thoughts about parenting.
You'll also explore parenting an adopted child and issues
in adoption. More information
about the homestudy process ...
STEP
3: Homestudy approval. Following the homestudy process,
your social worker will write a homestudy report on your family.
In this report, he/she make recommendations about whether
your should adopt and the type of child who would be a good
fit for your family. You are entitled to review your homestudy
report and keep a copy.
STEP 4: Learn about
adoption. The Yukon's Health and Social Services
does offer the PRIDE training program for prospective foster
and adoptive families but it's not mandatory in order to adopt
in the Yukon.
STEP 5: Wait to be matched.
If you've been approved to adopt, the next step will be to
wait for a match. Your worker will keep your homestudy and
profile on file and show it to the Department's other workers
to see if there are any children who would fit with your family.
This stage in the process is often the most difficult for
waiting adoptive parents as they have no control in the process
or how long it will take for a match.
STEP 6: The call! When
a match is made, your social worker will call you to relay
the news about the match. He/she will tell you about the child
and discuss the child's profile. If you decide to accept the
match, you will be able to obtain more specific information
about the child. This information often includes pictures
and/or videos. There may also be meetings with other workers
or foster parents who know the child and can tell you more
about him/her. You can at any point in the process turn down
the match if your family is uncomfortable with any information
that comes up. It's important to ask the workers many questions
about the child and to consult with other professionals if
any health or behavioural issues are brought to your attention.
STEP 7: Pre-placement visits!
If your family accepts the match you will begin a series of
pre-placement visits with your child. These are often spent
at the child's foster home where you'll spend time bonding
with your new son or daughter. What occurs during these visits
is largely dependent on the child's age - if the child is
an infant, you'll spend much of your time learning how the
baby likes to be held, fed, diapered, bathed and their bedtime
and daily routines. With an older child, pre-placement visits
with be quite different as you'll able to talk with them about
interests, engage in activities they enjoy and also learn
about their daily routines from both the child and their foster
family.
The length of time for pre-placement visits
is greatly dependent on the age of a child and their comfort.
An infant will attach to his/her adoptive parents much faster
than an older child who has been in foster care for several
years. The child's best interests and comfort are the priority
to ensure a smooth transition.
STEP 8: Adoption finalization!
Once pre-placement visits are completed, your child will be
placed in your home. There is a minimum six month period following
this day before the adoption can be legalized in Court. This
gives you some time to adjust and to deal with any issues
that might arise. The adoption social worker will continue
to provide support and counsel to your family. After the supervisory
period, the Department will apply to the Court for an Order
of Adoption. Once an Order of Adoption is granted (this means
finalized), your child is considered legally your child just
as if he/she were born to you.
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