Programs and Services : Adoption Services

Adoptive Parents

Process Home Study Types of Adoption

Process

Prospective adoptive parents go through several general stages in the adoption process and we've outlined them briefly here, with links to more detailed information.

If you already have a current home study or are in the process of a direct placement, please contact us to discuss your unique situation.

Click here for the application package

1. Contact us

We will be happy to mail you more information, meet with you in person, or set up a phone appointment so that you have a chance to ask all of your questions. Contact us today.

2. Register

When you are feeling confident about your decision to start, you may print and fill in the registration package and send it to us.  Alternatively, you may request that we send you a copy of the forms in the mail. Register now. Your home study fees are due at the time that you submit your registration with our agency.

3. Home Study

Once we've received all your information we assign a social worker to begin your home study, which takes a approximately 3 months to complete. Read more about our home study.

4. Domestic Program Profile or Inter-Country Dossier Package

By the time you've finished the home study, you will have decided which adoption path you intend to pursue:  domestic program (newborns in BC), inter-country (children from other countries), Ministry of Children and Family Development.  For an Inter-Country adoption you would prepare a dossier which would contain information as required by the country you are adopting from.  For a domestic adoption you would prepare a profile.  For a Ministry adoption we would prepare a profile.  Our agency has developed profile/dossier checklists which will be sent to adoptive parents once their home study is completed.

5. Matching

In a domestic adoption, you will be matched when a birth parent selects your profile. In a Ministry adoption you will be matched when the Ministry social worker responsible for planning for the child selects your profile/home study.  In most inter-country adoptions this child will be identified in the country of orgin through a country specific process.  In all cases, you will receive a proposal (aka: referral) for a specific child to review with your doctor.

6. Placement

For domestic and Ministry adoptions you would most likely need to travel to the community within BC where the child was born or currently resides.  For an inter-country adoption, you would likely be required to travel to the child's country to receive him or her.

7. Legal adoption paperwork

Adoption is made legal through the court system.  Follow up post placement reports are required.

 

"Thank you so much for all your help, advice and encouragement as we’ve gone through the adoption process. We want to make special mention of all your extra effort."

- Adoptive Parents