Proposed Legislation Strengthens Birth- and Adoptive-Parent Relationships

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Proposed Legislation Strengthens Birth- and Adoptive-Parent Relationships

More children will have loving, permanent homes under legislation introduced today, May 11, by Community Services Minister David Morse.

The legislation allows children in permanent care to be adopted while maintaining contact with birth parents or other relatives, such as grandparents.

"Every child needs a family of their own," said Mr. Morse. "The proposed legislation will help us place many more children in permanent and loving homes, while maintaining the possibility of contact with their birth parents."

Currently, there are about 1,100 children in permanent care in Nova Scotia. Children in permanent care often cannot return to their biological parents due to risk of abuse or neglect. Under existing legislation, a child cannot be adopted if there is an access order in place. An access order permits contact by birth parents or relatives if it is in the best interests of the child. To date, there are about 500 access orders in place.

"The proposed legislation provides an opportunity for birth parents with access orders to continue contact -- even as the child moves into a loving and permanent adoptive family," said Mr. Morse. "The legislation also allows step parents or other relative adoptions to proceed without the involvement of government. We want to streamline the process, and make it easier for adoptions to take place."

Before the adoption is finalized, biological parents may negotiate an openness agreement in order to continue contact with the child. This helps birth and adoptive parents come to an arrangement that would allow birth parents to continue contact with their child after the adoption is finalized, as long as it is in the child's best interests.