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Elect Baby-Stealers

September 1, 2011 permalink

Timed for the start of the election campaign, the Ontario government is touting the recent changes to adoption laws. A press release invites news editors to publish favorable stories, helped along with a set of quotes and quick facts.

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Helping More Kids Find Permanent Homes

adoptive family

"There is nothing more important in the life of a child than knowing he or she will always have a place to call home. With the new legislation and new subsidies, thousands more kids will have the opportunity to find their forever family."

– Laurel Broten
Minister of Children and Youth Services


"The Expert Panel is pleased with the McGuinty government's introduction of targeted supports for adoptive families. Older children and siblings represent important groups to target and these funds could be the difference between a child being adopted into a loving home and remaining in foster care. With this money and the proclamation of Bill 179, Minister Broten has moved forward with significant reform of our public adoption system."

– Will Falk
Co-Chair, Expert Panel on Infertility and Adoption, Adoption Work Group

McGuinty Government Makes It Easier For Parents To Build Families Through Adoption

Thousands more Ontario children and youth are now eligible for adoption and other supports thanks to changes now in effect.

The Building Families and Supporting Youth To Be Successful Act, 2011 removes barriers so more kids in the care of children's aid societies (CASs) can be adopted. To help with the transition to adulthood, older youth whose care ended at ages 16 or 17 are now able to return to their CAS and receive financial and other supports until the age of 21.

To help more kids find permanent homes, Ontario will also provide subsidies to eligible families who want to adopt or gain legal custody of a Crown ward. These subsidies will be available through CASs for siblings and children 10 years and older. The new funding is in addition to existing subsidies that most CASs already provide to some adoptive families.

These changes are an important step in the government's efforts to strengthen Ontario's adoption system and help more children and youth reach their potential and succeed.

QUICK FACTS

  • Previously, 75 per cent of the 9,000 kids in CAS care had access orders that prevented them from being adopted. As of Sept. 1, these kids are now eligible for adoption.
  • Ontario is more than doubling the number of Adoption Resource Exchanges - forums that match adoptive families with children needing adoption - across Ontario.
  • In the last two years, Ontario increased adoptions by 21 per cent over 2008-09.
  • Research shows that children and youth in permanent homes are more likely to graduate from high school, hold a job and contribute to their communities.

LEARN MORE

  • The Building Families and Supporting Youth To Be Successful Act, 2011.
  • How to adopt a child in Ontario.
  • Adopt Ontario helps match children with prospective parents.
  • Backgrounder: Giving More Kids A Place To Call Home.
  • ontario.ca/children-news

CONTACTS

Emilee Irwin
Minister's Office
416-314-4181
Peter Spadoni
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
416-325-5156

Ministry of Children and Youth Services ontario.ca/children

Source: Ministry of Children and Youth Services

To present both sides, here are some more quick facts:

  • Most children placed for adoption were taken from their natural families by force of arms. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
  • A substantial number of children taken by force go to adopters with political power, or connections within the child welfare system. [1] [2] [3] [4]
  • While children in permanent homes (real and adoptive) do better than children in long-term foster care, children in real families still have better outcomes than those placed for adoption. [1] [2] [3]
  • In subsidized adoptions the adopters may maltreat the children either out of malice or inability to cope, or may kill the children while continuing to collect the subsidy payments. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
  • A substantial number of adoptions fail, with the children returned to the adoption agencies. Real families almost never abandon their children. [1] [2] [3] [4]
  • For children with behavioral problems, agencies often conceal the problems from the adoptive family. [1] [2]
  • Desirable children are provided to adopters at costs that everyone involved pretends are fees, not purchase price. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Addendum: Reference to the abduction of Natalie quickly caused the video of her to go viral on Facebook. It has even been reposted to YouTube, though it will probably disappear again quite soon. Here is a good video response (flv) featuring an introduction by Laurel Broten.

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