• Foster Family
• Kinship Home
• Customary Care Home
• Adoptive Family

• Married
• Living common law
• Single with or without children
• Older persons
• Couples or singles with training in child care

• A thorough application process
• 27 hours of comprehensive PRIDE training
• Ongoing support
• Daily non-taxable reimbursement for living, medical, dental, clothing and school expenses

 

 

Every child deserves a forever family.

Adoption is a legal and social process which establishes a parent-child relationship, providing permanence, safety and security for a child or children.

Children are introduced to their potential adoptive parents slowly, so each has a chance to get to know the other. This process starts with day visits and continues to include overnight and weekend stays, and finally, if all goes well, permanent placement. Throughout this process, Chatham-Kent Children’s Services provides all the supports children and parents need to form healthy relationships and grow together as a family.

In Ontario, adoption can be arranged through:

• Public adoption through Children's Aid Societies
• Private adoption through a licensed agency or individual
• International adoption through a licensed organization

CAS is committed to providing permanent and loving families for children who cannot remain with their birth families.

Who Makes A Great Adoptive Parent?

• Committed to a permanent, lifetime relationship
• Ability and willingness to cope with the child's needs now and in the future
• Experience with children and dealing with difficult situations
• Ability and willingness to accept natural family involvement (if in child’s best interests)
• At least 19 years of age
• From any cultural, racial or ethnic background
• Single, married, divorced, widowed, gay or lesbian
• Financially able to manage the addition of a child(ren)
• Experience with adoption
• Extended family support
• Lots of parenting experience or none at all

Who Are Adoptive Children?

• All ages and stages – we have an increasing need for families who are willing to adopt older children
• Variety of cultural, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds
• Brothers and sisters waiting for a family who can adopt them together
• Have developmental or physical challenges

Each child is different but every child can benefit from becoming part of a warm and loving family.

Getting Started

• Call Chatham-Kent Children’s Services at 519 352-0440 to discuss your preliminary questions about adopting.
• At your request, a CAS resource worker will arrange a meeting at your home to discuss the process in detail. If you and the worker mutually decide to take the next step in the process, the worker will leave an application package with you.  
• Once you have completed and submitted your application package, a worker will schedule you into the PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) pre-service training program.
• Complete PRIDE, a 9 week, 27 hour pre-service intensive training program for prospective foster, adopt and kinship families. Homework assignments (PRIDE Connections) correspond to in-class training.   
• Complete a home study. You will be assigned to a home study worker either during or shortly after you have completed PRIDE.

Refer also to Adoption Resource Guide for Canadians: www.adoptiveparents.ca

 

ADOPTION DISCLOSURE

The Chatham-Kent Children’s Services will provide non-identifying information from our records to adult adopted persons, adoptive parents, birth parents, birth grandparents, and birth siblings.  Please call 519-352-0440 to speak to an Adoption worker about your adoption.

Adult adopted persons seeking identifying information and are wishing to obtain a copy of their original birth registration and/or their final adoption order, and birth parents wishing to obtain access to information from their child’s birth records and adoption orders can contact the Ministry of Community and Social Services at www.serviceontario.ca (scroll down to “Adoption Information Disclosure”), or call Service Ontario at 416-325-8305 or toll free at 1-800-461-2156.