Adoption

Adopting a child

Adopting a child means that you permanently take over all the legal rights and responsibilities to parent that child. A person who adopts a child is called an “adoptive parent”.

Factors that are taken into consideration when you want to adopt a child in Ontario:

• You must be a resident of Ontario and you must be at least 18 years old;

• You can adopt as an individual or as a couple, but not more than 2 people can adopt the same child;

• Your age, health status and financial situation.

These are all assessed to ensure that you can be a fit parent. You cannot be denied the right to adopt a child because of your race, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability or marriage status.

Unless you are adopting a child from a family member, to be deemed eligible, you must complete a parent training course and undergo a home study.

In Ontario, there are 4 ways to adopt a child:

• By public adoption:

  • A child is placed for adoption through the Children’s Aid Society.

• By private adoption:

  • Usually more costly;

  • This process takes place through a government-approved agency or person;

  • To find out how to arrange an private domestic adoption, visit the Government of Ontario’s page on “private domestic adoptions”.

• By international adoption:

  • Usually more costly;

  • This process takes place through a government-approved agency or person;

  • Allows orphaned or abandoned children from outside of Canada who don’t have a chance of being adopted in their country to be adopted in Ontario;

  • To find out how to arrange an international adoption, visit the Government of Ontario’s page on “international adoptions”.

• By family adoption:

  • This entails placing your child with a family member (this can be people like a step-parent, a grandparent, aunt, uncle…). 

To find out more about the Ontario’s adoption process, visit the Government of Ontario’s page on “Adoption services and support”

Placing a child for adoption

Placing a child for adoption means that you permanently give up all the rights and responsibilities concerning that child.

A child can be placed for public adoption, private adoption or family adoption.

Once a child is placed for adoption, you cannot ask that the child is returned to you. You do not pay any money or receive any money when placing a child for adoption.