General Adoption Information

In the Yukon, there are three main types of adoption - public, private and international. All adoptions in the territory are governed by a central authority - Health and Social Services. In April 2008, the new Child and Family Services Act was passed in the Yukon legislature and with it comes many changes and laws in regards to adoption in the territory.

A public or 'department' adoption in the Yukon is done through the Health and Social Services Department of the government. Most of the children are in the care of the Director because the courts have determined that their biological families are unable to care for them. The majority of these children are of First Nations heritage and range in age from infancy to 18 years old and many have special needs.

At this time, there are no licensed private adoption agencies in the Yukon although this may change with the new legislation passed in 2008. Private adoptions do exist in the territory but usually matches are made with families that already know each other or through lawyers and family doctors. Health and Social Services must still be involved in the homestudy and approval process.

International adoptions can also be arranged for families in the Yukon but they must employ the services of licensed international adoption agencies in provinces like Ontario, British Columbia or Manitoba. Health and Social Services' involvement will include the homestudy and application forms but the rest of the process will be the responsibility of the international adoption agency and the family.