If you are an adoptive applicant seeking to adopt a child or sibling group from the children’s aid system in Ontario, you are well-advised to attend the Adoption Resource Exchange Conference.  The next one is Sunday November 11, 2018, 9 am to 3 pm (8.30 am registration opens), at the Delta Hotels by Marriot Toronto Airport Conference Centre, 655 Dixon Road, Toronto.  If you are ‘AdoptReady’, i.e. you have completed PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) Training and you have finished your adoption home study with a recommendation to adopt an older child or sibling group, the A.R.E. is designed for YOU.

A long-standing event which started in the 1950’s, the A.R.E. has proven to be an effective way to locate and match adoptive families with Ontario children needing adoptive homes.  It takes place in Toronto twice a year and is hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services. Usually 20 or more children’s aid societies from around Ontario attend to present profiles of 120+ children in need of adoption. You can view videos and written profiles of children and youth who are awaiting adoption. You can speak with agency staff to learn more about the child or youth of interest.  If you register with AdoptOntario as an AdoptReady applicant, you also have the opportunity to obtain information about children being profiled at the A.R.E. (in the week prior to the event as well as for up to 2 weeks following it) through an on-line platform operated by AdoptOntario.  While attending the event, you can learn about the adoption process as the Adoption Council of Ontario presents its signature How to Adopt session as part of this program.  A Resource Village presented by Adopt4Life, Ontario’s Adoptive Parent Association, the Adoption Council of Ontario, and AdoptOntario gives you an opportunity to speak with other experienced adoptive parents and to learn about various resources available.  You can speak with parents who have adopted an older child, siblings, and children with special needs.  There are parents available with experience in raising children with special needs such as Autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, in utero drug/alcohol exposure, and other conditions.  Parents from the LGBTQ community are usually among the parents willing to share their adoption experiences.

To register for the A.R.E:  http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/adoption/how/conference.aspx

Please note the deadline to register on-line is 12 pm on Thursday, November 8.  You can still attend and sign in at the door.

It is a good idea to take along with you a one or two-page profile of yourself to give to the agency so they have some information about you.  You can indicate an interest in a child or children using a special form designed for this purpose.  When you indicate an interest in a particular child or sibling group, the agency involved will review your profile and, if they feel you are a possible match for the child(ren) in question, they will contact your adoption worker to discuss the match and request a copy of your home study.  Please note that it can take some time for the agency to respond to your expression of interest.

You are likely to find our two adoption practitioners from Milestones & Transitions, Betty Ann Streeter and Patricia Fenton, at the A.R.E. as we typically attend to meet with our clients and assist them in finding out about children of interest.   For further information, please be in touch with us at  [email protected]  or 416 486 1506.