NATIVE CHILD

AND FAMILY SERVICES OF TORONTO

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto has a unique but attainable goal. Our goal is to place Aboriginal children who are freed for adoption in culturally appropriate adoptive homes. Historically, Aboriginal children have been placed in trans-racial homes and this practice had led to children not being raised within their culture, lack of self-identity and overall sense of disconnect to their culture, roots and history.

Since starting our Adoption unit in September of 2005 we have successfully placed our children in culturally appropriate adoptive homes all across Ontario and feel passionate about providing Aboriginal Adoptive homes for Aboriginal children.

It is important to understand that not all children in NCFST care are available for adoption. Many are living temporarily with foster families while efforts are being made to help their own family’s function better so they can live at home again. Approximately half the children in foster care are successfully returned to their family.

Others stay in long-term foster care as a matter of choice. Either they don't want to try adoption, or a judge has granted access to certain people in their birth families. This happens when it's thought that visits with relatives are more important to the child's well being than breaking ties and starting a new life in an adoptive family.

Since NCFST workers have the opportunity to really know and understand the children in their care, they help determine if adoption or long-term foster care is in a child's best interests. Adoptability assessments are often used to determine if a child’s needs would be best served by adoption, and what characteristics should be sought within an adoptive home to meet those needs. If a child is old enough, he or she also takes part in this decision.

Once the courts have ordered a child to become a Crown Ward without Access for the purpose of adoption NCFST does the following steps to ensure that the child within the Aboriginal community.
-   NCFST connects with the child’s biological band to search for potential adoptive applicants. Not all of our children have band affiliation and this step would be skipped if there was none.
-   NCFST connects with the child’s extended family to search for potential adoptive applicants.
-   If none of these efforts provide an adoptive home for the child then a search will be completed from the list of adoptive families at NCFST.

Once this process had been completed a child will be matched with an adoptive family. Adoption is the legal process that gives a new family to a child whose birth family can't care for him or her. It's intended to provide the child with permanence and security.

Adoption is important as is allows a child to experience healthy development, and create a sense of their own self-worth; children need to have roots and feel they belong to a family that cares for them. Unfortunately, some parents can't provide their children with adequate care because of conflict or illness in the family. Others believe they can't provide the kind of upbringing they want for their children. Parents in these circumstances may decide to give their children up for adoption.

Individuals and couples who can't have children of their own often want to adopt children. Parents who already have children may want to adopt to enlarge their families.

Adoption happens for many different reasons but the most important thing to remember is that adoption is for permanence, un-conditional love and it is forever.