A Departmental adoption occurs
when the child being adopted is in the permanent custody
of the Director of Child and Family Services. This happens
in one of two ways:
- A birth parent has given the required
legal consents and places the child with a social worker.
- The Court has determined that the
birth parent(s) are unable to care for their child and
places the child into the permanent custody of the Director
of Child and Family Services.
Children may be temporarily
placed in foster care before they are placed in an approved
adoptive
home. Placement is managed and supervised by social workers
who are trained and specialize in adoption work. Departmental
adoption placements are regulated to protect the interests
of the parties involved and to ensure the best interests
of the child. All legislative procedures, regulations, standards
and policies pertaining to the NWT Adoption Act are followed.
Many children who are available
for adoption and in the permanent custody of the Director
of Child and Family Services have special placement or service
needs. These children are considered to be special needs
for a variety of reasons including:
- 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
If you're a resident of the
Northwest Territories and want to adopt through Family
Services, the first step is to contact your local Social
Services Office. A social worker will be able to answer
any questions and provide more information.
STEP 1- Application:
If you've decided that you're interested in applying to
adopt, you must complete an Application to Adopt a Child.
Included with the form must be all of the required documentation
listed on the application such as a Birth Certificate, Criminal
Record's Check, Reference Letters, and a Medical Examination.
STEP 2 - Adoptions
Family Assessment and Pre-placement Report: Once
the Director of Adoption processes the Application to Adopt,
a social worker will contact you to arrange appointments
to complete an Adoptions Family Assessment. This Assessment
will lead to the preparation of the written Pre-placement
report (a.k.a. the homestudy).
During the Adoptions Family
Assessment, your social worker and you will explore with
you such topics as your family history, education and employment
history, your hobbies, financial situation, your home and
community as well as your relationships. This will also
be a time where you'll discuss your thoughts and ideas about
parenting as well as your feelings, views and expectations
about adoption.
The Adoption Family Assessment
helps you and your social worker decide whether adoption
is right for your family. The assessment and process of
meeting with you will lead the social worker to make a decision
in recommending and approving your family. It also helps
workers determine if your family is capable in meeting the
needs of specific children.
STEP 3 - Decision
of Director of Adoption: Based on your Pre-placement
report (homestudy), the Director of Adoption decides whether
you will be an approved family to adopt. If this is the
case, your family is now considered ready to receive a child
who is legally free for adoption. The Director will advise
you in writing about the approval and your name will be
placed on the list of approved adoptive homes in waiting.
STEP 4- Proposing
a Child: The Director of Adoption will decide on
a suitable match between you and a child who is available
for adoption. The Director will then send the information
to your social worker who will then propose the child to
you for consideration. You're provided with all available
information about the child such as his/her social history,
medical and family history. Identifying information about
the child's family and location will be deleted as this
information is private.
STEP 5 - Placement:
When you agree to adopt a child who has been proposed to
you, the social worker will make arrangements to have the
child come to live with you. These arrangements usually
consist of a transition plan consisting of several pre-placement
visits for bonding and attachment. The younger the child,
the shorter the period of transition.
There is usually
a six-month minimum period between the time the child moves
into your home and when the final progress report, a Family
Union Report, is completed by the social worker. The Family
Union Report is the final step before the Director of Adoptions
makes the court application.
The issuing by the Court of an Adoption Order would
complete the process.
The Northwest Territories
has a subsidized adoption program that provides financial
or other types of assistance to families who adopt children
who have been designated by the Director for an adoptions
subsidy. These are children who are in the permanent care
of the Director of Child and Family Services.
The criteria applied to determine
the adoptive parents’ eligibility for a subsidy include:
- It is desirable for the child to
be adopted by the adoptive parents;
- The adoption would place an undue
burden on the financial resources of the adoptive
parents;
- The adoptive parents would be unable
to adopt the child without the assistance; and
- The financial or other assistance
proposed is less than the cost to maintain the child
in
foster care.
Financial assistance may
include one-time start up costs, such as for equipment;
costs to
purchase special services, or ongoing maintenance payments
to help with the daily care of a child designated for adoptions
subsidy. The social worker for the adoptive parents can
assist parents in completing the application for subsidy
form.
