Changes To Help Encourage Families To Adopt

There are children and youth in Nova Scotia without permanent and loving homes of their own. November is National Adoption Awareness Month and Nova Scotia will be celebrating by adding seven additional adoption services staff. This change is one part of an overall strategy to help make the process smoother and more efficient for families interested in adopting children already in permanent care.

"A loving and permanent family is essential to healthy child development," said David Morse, Minister of Community Services. "Nova Scotia is working to find even more adoptive families and to make the adoption process better so that many more children will have a family of their own."

The Department of Community Services has been reviewing the current adoption process in Nova Scotia, exploring ways to improve areas such as administration and communication, as well as support services for adoptive parents. The department is continuing to work on ways to recruit and prepare more adoptive parents.

As a result of targeted consultations and other work during this review process, two pilot positions were filled in September for adoption services for children in permanent care. Now an additional seven positions will be created across the province, for a total of nine new staff who can help support more families wanting to adopt children currently in permanent care.

The additional staff will start in February to provide adoption applicants with information sessions, eligibility screening, pre- service adoption training, and adoption home studies. It is hoped that the additional staff will increase the numbers of adoption applicants and improve information and preparation services for these families. These staff will conduct more home studies and, ultimately, more approved applicants will be available to adopt children in permanent care in Nova Scotia.

In Nova Scotia, the theme of Adoption Month is Every Child Needs a Family. In 2003-04, there were 118 children in permanent care adopted. The province is working to increase the number of children placed for adoption, many of whom are older children, have siblings needing to be adopted together or are children with special needs.

"Adoption Awareness Month is a time to recognize adoptive families in Nova Scotia who have opened their hearts to many children who were waiting for a family," said Mr. Morse.

More information about adoption, including how families can take the first steps towards adopting a child in Nova Scotia, is available from local child-welfare agencies or by visiting www.gov.ns.ca/coms .